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"  The  way  was  loiii;,  the  wind  was  cold. 
The  minstrel  was  infirm  and  old." 

Introduction. 


THE 


LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL 


^   POEM  IN  SIX   CANTOS 


BY 

SIR    WALTER    SCOTT,    Bart. 


m.i{\)  ]Illu0trat(0n3 


By    GARRETT,    IlARrER,    TAYLOR,    SHELTON 

AND    OTHERS 


NEW   YORK 
THOMAS    Y.    CROWELL    &    CO. 

13  AsTOR   Place 


Copyright, 
By  T.  Y.  Crowell  &  Co. 


RIGHT   HONORABLE 

CHARLES,    EARL    OF    DALKEITH, 

THIS    POEM    IS   INSCRIBED 

BY 

THE   AUTHOR. 


CONTENTS. 


InTRODI'CTION        .... 

augumknt   ... 

The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel 

Canto  I. 

Canto  IL 

Canto  in.       . 

Canto  IV. 

Canto  V.         .  . 

Canto  VI.       . 
Appendix 


7 
23 
27 
35 
52 
71 
90 
117 

1 39 
169 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Bra-wn  and  Engraved  under  the  supervision  of 
George   T.  Andrew. 


'  The  way  was  long,  the  wind  was  cold." 

—  Introdiiciion.         W.  H. -Shk-LTON.    Frontispiece. 

'  .She  raised  her  stately  head, 
And  her  heart  throbb'd  high  with  pride." 

—  Canto  I,  xviii.       Eli.hn   Oaki'okd.  44 

'  .Soon  in  his  saddle  sate  he  fast, 
And  soon  the  steep  descent  he  past." 

—  Canto  I,  XXV.        W.  \\.  Shelton.  47 

'  If  thou  wouldst  view  fair  Melrose  aright, 
Go  visit  it  by  the  pale  moonlight." 

—  Canto  2,  /.  Edmund  H.  Garrett.         52 

'  The  Knight  and  the  ladye  fair  are  met, 
And  under  the  hawthorn's  boughs  are  set." 

—  Canto  2,  xxviii.     W.  L.  Taylor.  65 

'  He  bade  his  page  to  stanch  the  wound, 
And  there  beside  the  warrior  stay." 

—  Canto  T„vii.  W.  H.  Shelton.  73 

'  He  would  not  do  the  fair  child  harm, 
But  held  him  with  his  powerful  arm." 

—  Canto  3,  xviii.       W.  L.  Shepp.\rd.  iro 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIOiXS. 


"  On  the  high  turret  sitting  lone, 
She  waked  at  times  the  kite's  soft  tone." 

—  Canto  3,  xxiv.       Ellen  Oakford.  84 

"  In  sign  nf  truce,  his  better  hand 
Displayed  a  peeled  willow  wand."" 

—  Canto  j„  xxi.         Vv.  H.  Sheltox.  106 

"  Beliind  Lord  Howard  and  the  Dame, 
tiair  Margaret  on  her  palfrey  came."' 

—  Canto  5,  xiii.       W.  L.  Tavlor.  128 

"  And  wild  and  haggard  looked  around. 
As  dizzy,  and  in  pain." 

—  Canto  I,  xxiv.       H.  Pruett  Share.  133 

"  Above  the  prostrate  pilgrim  band. 
The  mitred  Abbot  stretched  his  liand."' 

—  Canto  G,  XXX.        \\.  L.  Sheppard.  164 


INTRODUCTION.^ 


A  Poem  of  nearly  thirty  years'  standing  may  be  supposed  hardly 
to  need  an  Introduction,  since,  without  one,  it  has  been  able  to  keep 
itself  afloat  through  the  best  part  of  a  generation.  Nevertheless, 
as,  in  the  edition  of  the  Waverly  Novels  now  in  course  of  publica- 
tion, I  have  imposed  on  myself  the  task  of  saying  something  con- 
cernino-  the  purpose  and  history  of  each  in  their  turn,  I  am  desirous 
that  the  Poems  for  which  1  tirst  received  some  marks  of  the  public 
favor  should  also  be  accompanied  with  such  scraps  of  their  literary 
history  as  may  be  supposed  to  carry  interest  along  with  them. 
Even  if  1  should  be  mistaken  in  thinking  that  the  secret  history  of 
what  was  once  so  popular,  may  still  attract  public  attention  and 
curiosity,  it  seems  to  me  not  without  its  use  to  record  the  manner 
and  circumstances  under  which  the  present,  and  otlier  Poems  on 
the  same  plan,  attained  for  a  season  an  extensive  reputation. 

I  must  resume  the  story  of  my  literary  labors  at  the  period  at 
which  I  broke  off  in  the  Essay  on  the  Imitation  of  Popular  Poetry, 
when  I  had  enjoyed  the  first  gleam  of  public  favor,  by  the  success 
of  the  first  edition  of  the  Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border.     The 

1  Published  in  4to  (^^  i  ss.),  1805.  [The  Introduction  to  the  Lay  of  the 
Lnst  Minstrel,  written  in  April,  1830,  was  revised  by  the  author  in  the  autumn 
of  1831,  when  he  also  made  some  corrections  in  the  text  of  the  poem,  and  sev- 
eral additions  to  the  notes.  The  work  is  now  printed  from  his  interleaved 
copy.  It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  the  original  MS.  of  this  poem  has  not  been 
preserved.  We  are  thus  denied  the  advantage  of  comparing  throughout  the 
author's  various  readings,  which  in  the  case  of  Marmion,  the  Lady  of  the  Lake, 
the  Lord  of  the  Isles,  &c.,  are  often  highly  curious  and  instructive.  —  ED.] . 


THE  LAY  OF 


second  edition  of  tliat  work,  published  in  1803,  proved,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  trade,  rather  a  heavy  concern. ^  The  demand  in  Scot- 
land had  been  supplied  by  the  first  edition,  and  the  curiosity  of 
the  English  was  not  much  awakened  by  poems  in  the  rude  garb 
of  antiquity,  accompanied  with  notes  referring  to  the  obscure 
feuds  of  barbarous  clans,  of  whose  very  names  civilized  history 
was  ignorant.  It  was,  on  the  whole,  one  of  those  books  which  are 
more  praised  than  they  are  read. 

At  this  time  I  stood  personally  in  a  different  position  from  that 
which  I  occupied  when  I  first  dipped  my  desperate  pen  in  ink  for  other 
purposes  than  those  of  my  profession.  In  1796,  when  I  first  published 
the  translations  from  Biirger,  1  was  an  insulated  individual,  with  only 
my  own  wants  to  provide  for,  and  having,  in  a  great  measure,  my 
own  inclinations  alone  to  consult.  In  1803,  when  the  second  edi- 
tion of  the  Minstrelsy  appeared,  I  had  arrived  at  a  period  of  life 
when  men,  however  thoughtless,  encounter  duties  and  circumstances 
which  press  consideration  and  plans  of  life  upon  the  most  careless 
minds.  I  had  been  for  some  time  married  —  was  the  father  of  a 
rising  family,  and.  though  fully  enabled  to  meet  the  consequent 
demands  upon  me,  it  was  my  duty  and  desire  to  place  myself  in  a 
situation  which  would  enable  me  to  make  honorable  provision 
against  the  various  contingencies  of  life. 

It  may  be  readily  supposed  that  the  attempts  which  I  had  made 
in  literature  had  been  unfavorable  to  my  success  at  the  bar.  The 
goddess  Themis  is  at  Edinburgh,  and  I  suppose  everywhere  else,  of 
a  peculiarly  jealous  disposition.  She  will  not  readily  consent  to 
share  her  authority,  and  sternly  demands  from  her  votaries,  not 
only  that  real  duty  be  carefully  attended  to  and  discharged,  but  that 
a  certain  air  of  business  shall  be  observed  even  in  the  midst  of  total 
idleness.     It  is  prudent,  if  not  absolutely  necessary,  in  a  young  bar- 

1  ["  Tlie  'Lay'  is  the  best  of  all  possible  comments  on  the  Border  Min- 
strp'sy."  —  British  Critic,  August,  1805.] 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


rister,  to  appear  completely  engrossed  by  his  profession  ;  however 
destitute  of  employment  he  may  in  reality  be,  he  ought  to  preserve, 
*if  possible,  the  appearance  of  full  occupation.  He  should,  tlierefore, 
seem  perpetually  engaged  among  his  law-papers,  dusting  them,  as 
it  were ;  and,  as  Ovid  advises  the  fair, 

"  Si  nullus  crit  pulvis,  tamen  execute  nullum."  i 

Perhaps  such  extremity  of  attention  is  more  especially  required, 
considering  the  great  number  of  counsellors  who  are  called  to  the 
bar,  and  hovv^  very  small  a  proportion  of  them  are  iinally  disposed, 
or  iind  encouragement,  to  follow  the  law  as  a  profession.  Hence 
the  number  of  deserters  is  so  great,  that  the  least  lingering  look 
behind  occasions  a  young  novice  to  be  set  down  as  one  of  the 
intending  fugitives.  Certain  it  is,  that  the  Scottish  Themis  was  at 
this  time  peculiarly  jealous  of  any  flirtation  with  the  Muses,  on  the 
part  of  those  who  had  ranged  themselves  under  her  banners.  This 
was  probably  owing  to  her  consciousness  of  the  superior  attractions 
of  her  rivals.  Of  late,  however,  she  has  relaxed  in  some  instances 
in  this  particular,  an  eminent  example  of  which  has  been  shown  in 
the  case  of  my  friend,  Mr.  Jeffrey,  who,  after  long  conducting  one 
of  the  most  influential  literary  periodicals  of  the  age,  with  unques- 
tionable ability,  has  been,  by  the  general  consent  of  his  brethren, 
recently  elected  to  be  their  Dean  of  Faculty,  or  I^resident,  —  being 
the  highest  acknowledgment  of  his  professional  talents  which  they 
had  it  in  their  power  to  ofFer."-^  But  this  is  an  incident  much  beyond 
the  ideas  of  a  period  of  thirty  years'  distance,  when  a  barrister  who 
really  possessed  any  turn  for  lighter  literature  was  at  as  much  pains 
to  conceal  it  as  if  it  had  in  reality  been  something  to  be  ashamed 
of;  and  I  could  mention  more  than  one  instance  in  which  literature 

1  [If  dust  be  none,  yet  brush  that  none  away.] 

2  [Mr.  Jeffrey,  after  conducting  the  Edinburgh  Review  for  twenty-seven 
years,  withdrew  from  that  office  in  1829,  on  being  elected  Dean  of  the  Faculty 
of  Advocates.  —  Ed.] 


lO 


THE  LAV  OF 


and  society  have  suffered  much  loss,  that  jurisprudence  might  be 
enriched. 

Such,  however,  was  not  my  case ;  for  the  reader  will  not  wonder 
that  my  open  interference  with  matters  of  light  literature  diminished 
my  employment  in  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law.  Nor  did  the 
solicitors,  upon  whose  choice  the  counsel  takes  rank  in  his  profes- 
sion, do  me  less  than  justice,  by  regarding  others  among  ni}-  con- 
temporaries as  fitter  to  discharge  the  duty  due  to  their  clients,  than 
a  young  man  who  was  taken  up  with  running  after  ballads,  whether 
Teutonic  or  national.  My  profession  and  I,  therefore,  came  to 
stand  nearly  upon  the  footing  which  honest  Slender  consoled  him- 
self on  having  established  with  Mistress  Anne  Page:  "There  was 
no  great  love  between  us  at  the  beginning,  and  it  pleased  Heaven 
to  decrease  it  on  farther  acquaintance."  I  became  sensible  that  the 
time  was  come  when  I  must  either  buckle  myself  resolutely  to  the 
"  toil  by  day,  the  lamp  by  night,"  renouncing  all  the  Delilahs  of  my 
imagination,  or  bid  adieu  to  the  profession  of  the  law,  and  hold  an- 
other course. 

I  confess  my  own  inclination  revolted  from  the  more  severe  choice, 
which  might  have  been  deemed  by  many  the  wiser  alternative.  As 
my  transgressions  had  been  numerous,  my  repentance  must  have 
been  signalized  by  unusual  sacrifices.  I  ought  to  have  mentioned, 
that  since  my  fourteenth  or  fifteenth  year,  my  health,  originally  deli- 
cate, had  become  extremely  robust.  From  infancy  I  had  labored 
under  the  infirmity  of  a  severe  lameness,  but,  as  I  believe  is  usually 
the  case  with  men  of  spirit  who  suffer  under  personal  inconveniences 
of  this  nature,  I  had,  since  the  improvement  of  my  health,  in  defi- 
ance of  this  incapacitating  circumstance,  distinguished  myself  by 
the  endurance  of  toil  on  foot  or  horseback,  having  often  walked 
thirty  miles  a  day,  and  rode  upwards  of  a  hundred,  without  resting. 
In  this  manner  I  made  many  pleasant  journeys  through  parts  of  the 
country  then  not  very  accessible,  gaining  more  amusement  and  in- 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  1 1 

struction  than  I  have  been  able  to  acquire  since  I  have  travelled  in 
a  more  commodious  manner.  I  practised  most  silvan  sports  also, 
with  some  success,  and  with  great  delight.  But  these  pleasures 
must  have  been  all  resigned,  or  used  vv'ith  great  moderation,  had  I 
determined  to  regain  my  station  at  the  bar.  It  was  even  doubtful 
whether  I  could,  with  perfect  character  as  a  jurisconsult,  retain  a 
situation  in  a  volunteer  corps  of  cavalry,  which  I  then  held.  The 
threats  of  invasion  were  at  this  time  instant  and  menacing ;  the  call 
by  Britain  on  her  children  was  universal,  and  was  answered  by 
some,  who,  like  myself,  consulted  rather  their  desire  than  their 
ability  to  bear  arms.  My  services,  however,  were  found  useful  in 
assisting  to  maintain  the  discipline  of  the  corps,  being  the  point  on 
which  their  constitution  rendered  them  most  amenable  to  military 
criticism.  In  other  respects,  the  squadron  was  a  tine  one,  consist- 
ing chiefly  of  handsome  men,  well  mounted,  and  armed  at  their  own 
expen.se.  My  attention  to  the  corps  took  up  a  good  deal  of  time  ; 
and  while  it  occupied  many  of  the  happiest  hours  of  my  life,  it  fur- 
nished an  additional  reason  for  my  reluctance  again  to  encounter 
the  severe  course  of  study  indispensable  to  success  in  the  juridical 
profession. 

On  the  other  hand,  my  father,  whose  feelings  might  have  been 
hurt  by  my  quitting  the  bar,  had  been  for  two  or  three  years  dead, 
so  that  I  had  no  control  to  thwart  my  own  inclination  ;  and  my 
income  being  equal  to  all  the  comforts,  and  some  of  the  elegan- 
cies, of  life,  I  was  not  pressed  to  an  irksome  labor  by  necessity,  that 
most  powerful  of  motives ;  consequently,  I  was  the  more  easily 
seduced  to  choose  the  employment  which  was  most  agreeable  to  me. 
This  was  yet  the  easier,  that  in  1800  I  hatl  obtained  the  prefer- 
ment of  Sheriff  of  Selkirkshire,  about  £  300  a  year  in  value,  and 
which  was  the  more  agreeable  to  me,  as  in  that  county  I  had  sev. 
eral  friends  and  relations.  But  I  did  not  abandon  the  profession  to 
which  I  had  been  educated  without  certain  prudential  resolutions. 


12  THE  LAY  OF 


which,  at  the  risk  of  some  egotism,  I  will  here  mention;  not  with- 
out the  hope  that  they  may  be  useful  to  young  persons  who  may 
stand  in  circumstances  similar  to  those  in  which  I  then  stood. 

In  the  first  place,  upon  considering  the  lives  and  fortunes  of  per- 
sons who  had  given  themselves  up  to  literature,  or  to  tlie  task  of 
pleasing  the  public,  it  seemed  to  me,  that  the  circumstances  which 
chiefly  affected  their  happiness  and  character,  were  those  from  which 
Horace  has  bestowed  upon  autliors  the  epithet  of  the  Irritable  Race. 
It  requires  no  depth  of  philosophic  reflection  to  perceive,  that  the 
petty  warfare  of  Pope  with  the  Dunces  of  his  period  could  not  have 
been  carried  on  without  his  suffering  the  most  acute  torture,  such  as 
a  man  must  endure  from  mosquitoes,  by  whose  stings  he  suffers 
agony,  although  he  can  crush  them  in  his  grasp  by  myriads.  Nor 
is  it  necessary  to  call  to  memory  the  many  humiliating  instances  in 
which  men  of  the  greatest  genius  have,  to  avenge  some  pitiful 
quarrel,  made  themselves  ridiculous  during  their  lives,  to  become 
tlie  still  more  degraded  objects  of  pity  to  future  times. 

Upon  the  whole,  as  I  had  no  pretension  to  the  genius  of  the  dis- 
tinguished persons  who  had  fallen  into  such  errors,  I  concluded 
there  could  be  no  occasion  for  imitating  them  in  their  mistakes,  or 
what  I  considered  as  such  ;  and,  in  adopting  literary  pursuits  as  the 
])rincipal  occupation  of  my  future  life,  I  resolved,  if  possible,  to 
avoid  those  weaknesses  of  temper  which  seemed  to  have  most  easily 
beset  my  more  celebrated  j^redecessors. 

With  this  view,  it  was  my  first  resolution  to  keep  as  far  as  was  in 
my  power  abreast  of  society,  continuing  to  maintain  my  place  in 
general  company,  without  yielding  to  the  very  natural  temptation  of 
narrowing  myself  to  what  is  called  literary  society.  By  doing  so,  I 
imagined  I  should  escape  the  besetting  sin  of  listening  to  language, 
which,  from  one  motive  or  other,  is  apt  to  ascribe  a  very  undue  de- 
gree of  consequence  to  literary  pursuits,  as  if  they  were,  indeed,  the 
l)usiness,  rather  than  the  amusement,  of  life.     The  opposite  course 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


can  only  be  compared  to  the  injudicious  conduct  of  one  who  pam- 
pers himself  witli  cordial  and  luscious  draughts,  until  he  is  unable 
to  endure  wholesome  bitters.  Like  Gil  Bias,  therefore,  I  resolved 
to  stick  by  the  society  of  my  cammis,  instead  of  seeking  that  of  a 
more  literary  cast,  and  to  maintain  my  general  interest  in  what  was 
going  on  around  me,  reserving  the  man  of  letters  for  the  desk  and 
the  library. 

■  My  second  resolution  was  a  corollary  from  the  first.  I  deter- 
mined that,  without  shutting  my  ears  to  the  voice  of  true  criticism, 
I  would  pay  no  regard  to  that  which  assumes  the  form  of  satire.  I 
therefore  resolved  to  arm  myself  with  that  triple  brass  of  Horace,  of 
which  those  of  my  profession  are  seldom  held  deficient,  against  all 
the  roving  warfare  of  satire,  parody,  and  sarcasm  ;  to  laugh  if  the 
jest  was  a  good  one ;  or,  if  otherwise,  to  let  it  hum  and  buzz  itself 
to  sleep. 

It  is  to  the  observance  of  these  rules  (according  to  my  best 
belief),  that,  after  a  life  of  thirty  years  engaged  in  literary  labors  of 
various  kinds,  I  attribute  my  never  having  been  entangled  in  any 
literary  quarrel  or  controversy ;  and,  which  is  a  still  more  pleasing 
result,  that  I  have  been  distinguished  by  the  personal  friendship  of 
my  most  approved  contemporaries  of  all  parties. 

I  adopted,  at  the  same  time,  another  resolution,  on  which  it  may 
doubtless  be  remarked,  that  it  was  well  for  me  that  I  had  it  in  my 
power  to  do  so,  and  that,  therefore,  it  is  a  line  of  conduct  which, 
depending  upon  accident,  can  be  less  generally  applicable  in  other 
cases.  Yet  I  fail  not  to  record  this  part  of  my  plan,  convinced  that, 
though  it  may  not  be  in  every  one's  power  to  adopt  exactly  the 
same  resolution,  he  may  nevertheless,  by  his  own  exertions,  in  some 
shape  or  other,  attain  the  object  on  which  it  was  founded,  namely, 
to  secure  the  means  of  subsistence,  without  relying  exclusively  on 
literary  talents.  In  this  respect,  I  determined  that  literature  should 
be  my  staflf,  but  not  my  crutch,  and  that  the  profits  of  my  literary 


14 


THE  LAV  OF 


labor,  however  convenient  otherwise,  should  not,  if  I  could  help  it, 
become  necessary  to  my  ordinary  expenses.  With  this  purpose  I 
resolved,  if  the  interest  of  my  friends  could  so  far  favor  me,  to  retire 
upon  any  of  the  respectable  offices  of  the  law,  in  wliich  persons  of 
that  profession  are  glad  to  take  refuge,  when  they  feel  themselves, 
or  are  judged  by  others,  incompetent  to  aspire  to  its  higher  honors. 
Upon  such  a  post  an  author  might  hope  to  retreat,  without  any 
perceptible  alteration  of  circumstances,  whenever  the  time  should 
arrive  that  the  public  grew  weary  of  his  endeavors  to  please,  or  he 
himself  should  tire  of  the  pen.  At  this  period  of  my  life,  I  pos- 
sessed so  many  friends  capable  of  assisting  me  in  this  object  of 
ambition,  that  I  could  hardly  overrate  my  own  prospects  of  obtain- 
ing the  preferment  to  which  I  limited  my  wishes :  and,  in  fact,  I 
obtained,  in  no  long  period,  the  reversion  of  a  situation  which  com- 
pletely met  them. 

Thus  far  all  was  well,  and  the  Author  had  been  guilty,  perhaps, 
of  no  great  imprudence,  when  he  relinquished  his  forensic  practice 
witli  the  hope  of  making  some  figure  in  the  field  of  literature.  But 
an  established  character  with  the  public,  in  my  new  capacity,  still 
remained  to  be  acquired.  I  have  noticed  that  the  translations  from 
Burger  had  been  unsuccessful,  nor  had  the  original  poetry  which 
appeared  under  the  auspices  of  Mr.  Lewis,  in  the  "  Tales  of  Won- 
der," in  any  great  degree  raised  my  reputation.  It  is  true,  I  had 
private  friends  disposed  to  second  me  in  my  efforts  to  obtain  popu- 
larity. But  I  was  sportsman  enough  to  know,  that  if  the  greyhound 
does  not  run  well,  the  halloes  of  his  patrons  will  not  obtain  the 
prize  for  him. 

Neither  was  I  ignorant  that  the  practice  of  ballad-writing  was 
for  the  present  out  of  fashion,  and  that  any  attempt  to  revive  it,  or 
to  found  a  poetical  character  upon  it,  would  certainly  fail  of  success. 
The  ballad-measure  itself,  which  was  once  listened  to  as  to  an 
enchanting  melody,  had  become  hackneyed  and  sickening,  from  its 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


15 


being  the  accompaniment  of  every  grinding  hand-organ  ;  and  besides, 
a  long  work  in  quatrains,  whether  those  of  the  common  ballad,  or 
such  as  are  termed  elegiac,  has  an  effect  upon  the  mind  like  that 
of  the  bed  of  Procrustes  upon  the  human  body ;  for,  as  it  must  be 
both  awkward  and  difficult  to  carry  on  a  long  sentence  from  one 
stanza  to  another,  it  follows,  that  the  meaning  of  each  period  must 
be  comprehended  within  four  lines,  and  equally  so  that  it  nuist  be 
extended  so  as  to  fill  that  space.  The  alternate  dilation  and 
contraction  thus  rendered  necessary  is  singularly  unfavorable  to 
narrative  composition;  and  the  "  Gondibert "  of  Sir  William  D' 
Avenant,  though  containing  many  striking  passages,  has  never 
become  popular,  owing  chiefly  to  its  being  told  in  this  species  of 
elegiac  verse. 

In  the  dilemma  occasioned  by  this  objection,  the  idea  occurred  to 
the  Author  of  using  the  measured  short  line,  which  forms  the 
structure  of  so  much  minstrel  poetry,  that  it  may  be  properly  termed 
the  Romantic  stanza,  by  way  of  distinction  ;  and  which  appears  so 
natural  to  our  language,  that  the  very  best  of  our  poets  have  not 
been  able  to  protract  it  into  the  verse  properly  called  Heroic,  with- 
out the  use  of  epithets  which  are,  to  say  the  least,  unnecessary. 1  But, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  extreme  facility  of  the  short  couplet,  which 
seems  congenial  to  our  language,  and  was,  doubtless  for  that  reason, 
so  popular  with  our  old  minstrels,  is,  for  the  same  reason,  apt  to 
prove  a  snare  to  the  composer  who  uses  it  in  more  modern  days,  b)- 


1  Thus  it  has  been  often  remarked,  that,  in  the  opening  couplets  of  Pope's 
translation  of  the  Iliad,  there  are  two  syllables  forming  a  superfluous  word  in 
each  line,  as  may  be  observed  by  attending  to  such  words  as  are  printed  in 

Italics. 

"  Achilles'  wrath  to  Greece  the  direful  spring 
Of  woes  unniimber'd,  heavenly  goddess,  sing; 
That  wrath  which  sent  to  Pluto's  gloomy  reign. 
The  souls  of  mighty  chiefs  in  battle  slain, 
Whose  bones,  unburied  on  the  desert  shore. 
Devouring  dogs  and  hungry  vultures  tore." 


1 5  THE  LAY  OF 


encouraging  him  in  a  habit  of  slovenly  comi)o.sition.  The  necessity 
of  occasional  pauses  often  forces  the  young  poet  to  pay  more  attention 
to  sense,  as  the  boy's  kite  rises  highest  when  the  train  is  loaded  by 
a  due  counterpoise.  The  Author  was  therefore  intimidated  by  what 
Byron  calls  the  "  fatal  facility  "  of  the  octo-syllabic  verse,  which  was 
otherwise  better  adapted  to  his  purpose  of  imitating  the  more 
ancient  poetry. 

I  was  not  less  at  a  loss  for  a  subject  which  might  admit  of  being 
treated  with  the  simplicity  and  wildness  of  the  ancient  ballad.  But 
accident  dictated  both  a  theme  and  measure  which  decided  the  sub- 
ject as  well  as  the  structure  of  the  poem. 

The  lovely  young  Countess  of  Dalkeith,  afterwards  Harriet  Duch- 
ess of  Buccleuch,  had  come  to  the  land  of  her  husband  with  the 
desire  of  making  herself  acquainted  with  its  traditions  and  customs, 
as  well  as  its  manners  and  history.  All  who  remember  this  lady 
will  agree,  that  the  intellectual  character  of  her  extreme  beauty,  the 
amenity  and  courtesy  of  her  manners,  the  soundness  of  her  under- 
standing, and  her  unbounded  benevolence,  gave  more  the  idea  of 
an  angelic  visitant,  than  of  a  being  belonging  to  this  nether  world; 
and  such  a  thought  was  but  too  consistent  with  the  short  space  she 
was  permitted  to  tarry  among  us.^  Of  course,  where  all  made  it 
a  pride  and  pleasure  to  gratify  her  wishes,  she  soon  heard  enough  of 
Border  lore ;  among  others,  an  aged  gentleman  of  property,'  near 

1  [The  Duchess  died  in  August,  1814.  Sir  Walter  Scott's  Hnes  on  her 
deatli  will  be  found  in  a  subsequent  volume  of  this  Collection.  —  Ed.] 

"  This  was  Mr.  Beattie  of  Mickledale,  a  man  then  considerably  upwards  of 
eighty,  of  a  shrewd  and  sarcastic  temper,  which  he  did  not  at  all  times  suppress, 
as  the  following  anecdote  will  show :  - —  A  worthy  clergyman,  now  deceased, 
with  better  good-will  than  tact,  was  endeavoring  to  pusli  the  senior  forward  in 
his  recollection  of  Border  ballads  and  legends,  by  expressing  reiterated  surprise 
at  his  wonderful  memory.  "No,  sir,"  said  old  Mickledale;  "my  memory  is 
good  for  little,  for  it  cannot  retain  what  ought  to  be  preserved.  I  can  remem- 
ber all  these  stories  about  theauld  riding  days,  which  are  of  no  earthly  impor- 
tance; but  were  you,  reverend  sir,  to  repeat  your  best  sermon  in  this  drawing- 
room,  I  cou'.d  not  tell  you  half  an  hour  afterwards  what  you  had  been  speaking 
about." 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


17 


Langholm,  communicated  to  her  ladyship  the  story  of  Gilpin  Hor- 
ner, a  tradition  in  which  the  narrator,  and  many  more  of  that  coun- 
try, were  firm  believers.  The  young  Countess,  much  delighted  with 
the  legend,  and  the  gravity  and  full  confidence  with  which  it  was 
told,  enjoined  on  me  as  a  task  to  compose  a  ballad  on  the  subject. 
Of  course,  to  hear  was  to  obey;  and  thus  the  goblin  story,  objected 
to  by  several  critics  as  an  excrescence  upon  the  poem,  was,  in  fact, 
the  occasion  of  its  being  written. 

A  chance  similar  to  that  which  dictated  the  subject,  gave  me 
also  the  hint  of  a  new  mode  of  treating  it.  We  had  at  that  time  the 
lease  of  a  pleasant  cottage,  near  Lasswade,  on  the  romantic  banks 
of  the  Esk,  to  which  we  escaped  when  the  vacations  of  the  Court 
permitted  me  so  much  leisure.  Here  I  had  the  pleasure  to  receive  a 
visit  from  Mr.  Stoddart  (now  Sir  John  Stoddart,  Judge-Advocate  at 
Malta),  who  was  at  that  time  collecting  the  particulars  which  he 
afterwards  embodied  in  his  Remarks  on  Local  Scenery  in  Scotland. ^ 
1  was  of  some  use  to  him  in  procuring  the  information  which  he  de- 
sired, and  guiding  him  to  the  scenes  which  he  wished  to  see.  In 
return,  he  made  me  better  acquainted  than  I  had  hitherto  been  with 
the  poetic  effusions  which  have  since  made  the  Lakes  of  Westmore- 
land, and  the  authors  by  whom  they  have  been  sung,  so  famous 
wherever  the  English  tongue  is  spoken. 

I  was  already  acquainted  with  the  "  Joan  of  Arc,"  the  ••  Thalaba," 
and  the  "  Metrical  Ballads  "  of  Mr.  Southey,  which  had  found  their 
way  to  Scotland,  and  were  generally  admired.  But  Mr.  Stoddart, 
who  had  the  advantage  of  personal  friendship  with  the  authors,  and 
who  possessed  a  strong  memory  with  an  excellent  taste,  was  able  to 
repeat  to  me  many  long  specimens  of  their  poetry  which  had  not 
yet  appeared  in  print.  Amongst  others,  was  the  striking  fragment 
called  Christabel,   by    Mr.   Coleridge,    which,    from    the   singularly 

1  Two  volumes,  royal  octavo.     1801. 


THE  LAY  OF 


irregular  structure  of  the  stanzas,  and  the  liberty  which  it  allowed 
the  author  to  adapt  the  sound  to  the  sense,  seemed  to  be  exactly 
suited  to  such  an  extravaganza  as  I  meditated  on  the  subject  of  Gil- 
pin Horner.  As  applied  to  comic  and  humorous  poetry,  this  mes- 
colanza  of  measures  had  been  already  used  by  Anthony  Hall,  Anstey, 
Dr.  Wolcott,  and  others  ;  but  it  was  in  Christabel  that  I  first  found 
it  used  in  serious  poetry,  and  it  is  to  Mr.  Coleridge  that  I  am 
bound  to  make  the  acknowledgment  due  from  the  pupil  to  his  mas- 
ter. I  observe  that  Lord  Byron,  in  noticing  my  obligations  to  J\Ir. 
Coleridge,  which  I  have  been  always  most  ready  to  acknowledge, 
expressed,  or  was  understood  to  express  a  hope,  that  I  did  not  write 
an  unfriendly  review  on  Mr.  Coleridge \s  productions. ^  On  this  sub- 
ject, I  have  only  to  say,  that  I  do  not  even  know  the  review  which 
is  alluded  to ;  and  were  I  ever  to  take  the  unbecoming  freedom  of 
censuring  a  man  of  Mr.  Coleridge's  extraordinary  talents,  it  would  be 
on  account  of  the  caprice  and  indolence  with  which  he  has  thrown 
from  him,  as  if  in  mere  wantonness,  those  unfinished  scraps  of  poe- 
try, which,  like  the  Torso  of  antiquity,  defy  the  skill  of  his  poetical 
brethren  to  complete  them.^  The  charming  fragments  which  the 
author  abandons  to  their  fate  are  surely  too  valuable  to  be  treated 
like  the  proofs  of  careless  engravers,  the  sweepings  of  whose  studios 
often  make  the  fortune  of  some  painstaking  collector. 

I  did  not  immediately  proceed  upon  my  projected  labor,  though  I 
was  now  furnished  with  a  subject,  and  with  a  structure  of  verse 
which  might  have  the  eiTect  of  novelty  to  the  public  ear,  and  afford 
the  author  an  opportunity  of  varying  his  measure  with  the  variations 

1  Medwin's  Conversations  of  Lord  Byron,  p.  309. 

2  [Sir  Walter,  elsewhere,  in  allusion  to  "  Coleridge's  beautiful  and  tantalizing 
fragment  of  Christabel,"  says,  "  Has  not  our  own  imaginative  poet  cause  to  fear 
that  future  ages  will  desire  to  summon  him  from  his  place  of  rest,  as  Milton 
hinged 

'  To  call  up  him  who  left  half  told 
The  storj'  of  Cambuscan  bold  '  ?  " 

Notes  to  the  Abbot. ^ 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  jg 

of  a  romantic  theme.  On  the  contrary,  it  was.  to  the  best  of  my 
recollection,  more  than  a  year  after  Mr.  Stoddart's  visit,  tliat,  by 
way  of  experiment,  I  composed  the  first  two  or  three  stanzas  of  "  The 
Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel."  I  was  shortly  afterwards  visited  by  two 
intimate  friends,  one  of  whom  still  survives.  They  were  men  whose 
talents  might  have  raised  them  to  the  highest  station  in  literature, 
had  they  not  preferred  exerting  them  in  their  own  profession  of  the 
law.  in  which  they  attained  equal  preferment.  I  was  in  the  habit  of 
consulting  them  on  my  attempts  at  composition,  having  equal  confi- 
dence in  their  sound  taste  and  friendly  sincerity.'  In  this  specimen 
1  had,  in  the  phrase  of  the  Highland  servant,  packed  all  that  was  my 
own  a/  least,  for  I  had  also  included  a  line  of  invocation,  a  little 
softened,  from  Coleridge  — 

"  Mary,  mother,  shield  us  well." 

As  neither  of  my  friends  said  much  to  me  on  the  subject  of  the  stan- 
zas I  showed  them,  before  their  departure,  I  had  no  doubt  that  their 
disgust  had  been  greater  than  their  good-nature  chose  to  express. 
Looking  upon  them,  therefore,  as  a  failure.  I  threw  the  manuscript 
into  the  fire,  and  thought  as  little  more  as  I  could  of  the  matter. 
Some  time  afterwards  I  met  one  of  my  two  counsellors,  who 
inquired,  with  considerable  appearance  of  interest,  about  the  pro- 
gress of  the  romance  I  had  commenced,  and  was  greatly  surprised 
at  learning  its  fate.  He  confessed  that  neither  he  nor  our  mutual 
friend  had  been  at  first  able  to  give  a  precise  opinion  on  a  poem  so 
much  out  of  the  common  road,  but  that  as  they  walked  home 
together  to  the  city,  they  had  talked  much  on  the  subject,  and  tlie 
result  was  an  earnest  desire  that  I  would  proceed  with  the  compo- 
sition.    He  also  added,  that  some  sort  of  prologue  might  be  ueces- 

1  One  of  these,  WiUiam  Erskine,  Esq.  (Lord  Kinnedder),  I  have  often  had 
occasion  to  mention ;  and,  though  I  may  hardly  be  thanked  for  disclosing  the 
name  of  the  other,  yet  I  cannot  but  state  that  the  second  is  George  Cranstoun, 
now  a  Senator  of  the  College  of  Justice  by  the  title  of  Lord  Corehouse.     1831. 


20  THE  LAY  OF 


sary,  to  place  the  mind  of  the  hearers  in  the  situation  to  understand 
the  poem,  and  recommended  the  adoption  of  such  quaint  mottoes  as 
Spenser  has  used  to  announce  the  contents  of  the  chapters  of  the 
Faery  Queen,  such  as  — 

"  Babe's  bloody  hands  may  not  be  cleansed. 
The  face  of  golden  Mean  : 
Her  sisters  two,  Extremities, 
Her  strive  to  banish  clean." 

I  entirely  agreed  with  my  friendly  critic  in  the  necessity  of  havin-i, 
some  sort  of  pitch-pipe,  which  might  make  readers  aware  of  the 
object,  or  rather  the  tone,  of  the  publication.  But  I  doubted 
whether,  in  assuining  the  oracular  style  of  Spenser's  mottoes,  the 
interpreter  might  not  be  censured  as  the  harder  to  be  understood  of 
the  two.  I  therefore  introduced  the  Old  Minstrel,  as  an  appropriate 
prolocutor,  by  whom  the  lay  might  be  sung,  or  spoken,  and  the 
introduction  of  whom,  betwixt  the  cantos,  might  remind  the  reader 
at  intervals  of  the  time,  place,  and  circumstances  of  the  recitation. 
This  species  oi  cadre,  or  frame,  afterwards  afforded  the  poem  its 
name  of  "  The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel." 

The  work  was  subsequently  shown  to  other  friends  during  its  pro- 
"■ress,  and  received  the  iiiipriinatur  of  Mr.  Francis  Jeffrey,  who  had 
been  already  for  some  time  distinguished  by  his  critical  talent. 

The  poem,  being  once  licensed  by  the  critics  as  fit  for  the  mar- 
ket, was  soon  finished,  proceeding  at  about  the  rate  of  a  canto  per 
week.  There  was,  indeed,  little  occasion  for  pause  or  hesitation, 
when  a  troublesome  rhyme  might  be  accommodated  by  an  alteration 
of  the  stanza,  or  where  an  incorrect  measure  might  be  remedied  by 
a  variation  in  the  rhyme.  It  was  finally  published  in  1805,  and 
may  be  regarded  as  the  first  work  in  which  the  writer,  who  has 
been  so  voluminous,  laid  his  claim  to  be  considered  as  an  original 
author. 

The  book  was  published   by  Longman  &    Company,  and  Archi- 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


21 


bald  Constable  &  Company.  The  principal  of  the  latter  firm  was 
then  commencing  that  course  of  bold  and  liberal  industry  which 
was  of  so  much  advantage  to  his  country,  and  might  have  been  so  to 
himself,  but  for  causes  which  it  is  needless  to  enter  into  here.  The 
work,  brouglit  out  on  the  usual  terms  of  division  of  profits  between 
the  author  and  publishers,  was  not  long  after  purchased  by  them 
for  ;i{^  500,  to  which  Messrs.  Longman  &  Company  afterwards 
added  £^  100,  in  their  own  unsolicited  kindness,  in  consequence  of 
tlie  uncommon  .success  of  the  work.  It  was  handsomely  given  to 
supply  the  loss  of  a  fine  horse,  which  broke  down  suddenly  wliile  the 
author  was  riding  with  one  of  the  worthy  publishers. 1 

It  would  be  great  affectation  not  to  own  frankly,  that  the  Author 
expected  some  success  from  "  The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel."  The 
attempt  to  return  to  a  more  simple  and  natural  style  of  poetry  was 
likely  to  be  welcomed,  at  a  time  v/hen  the  public  had  become  tired 
of  heroic  hexameters,  with  all  the  buckram  and  binding  which  belong 
to  them  of  later  days.  But  whatever  might  have  been  his  expecta- 
tions, whether  moderate  or  unreasonable,  the  result  left  them  far 
l)ehind  ;  for,  among  those  who  smiled  on  the  adventurous  Minstrel, 
were  numbered  the  great  names  of  William  Pitt  and  Charles  Fox. 
Neither  was  the  extent  of  the  sale  inferior  to  the  character  of  the 
judges  who  received  the  poem  with  approbation.  Upwards  of 
thirty  thousand  copies  of  the  Lay  were  disposed  of  by  the  trade  ; 
and  the  Author  had  to  perform  a  task  difficult  to  human  vanity, 
when  called  upon  to  make  the  necessary  deductions  from  his  own 
merits,  in  a  calm  attempt  to  account  for  his  popularity. 

A  few  additional  remarks  on  the  Author''s  literary  attempts,  after 
this  period,  will  be  found  in  tlie  Introduction  to  the  Poem  of  Mar- 
anion. 

ABiioisi'OKD,  April,  1830. 

'    [Mr.  Owfii  Rees.  —  Ku.] 


ARGUMENT. 


The  PoE:\r,  now  offered  to  the  Public,  is  intended  to  illustrate  the 
customs  and  manners  which  anciently  prevailed  on  the  Borders  of 
England  and  Scotland.  The  inhabitants,  living  in  a  state  partly 
pastoral,  and  partly  warlike,  and  combining  habits  of  constant  dep- 
redation with  the  influence  of  a  rude  spirit  of  chivalry,  were  often 
engaged  in  scenes  highly  susceptible  of  poetical  ornament.  As  the 
description  of  scenery  and  manners  was  more  the  object  of  the 
Author  than  a  combined  and  regular  narrative,  the  plan  of  the 
Ancient  Metrical  Romance  was  adopted,  which  allows  greater  lati- 
tude, in  this  respect,  than  would  be  consistent  with  the  dignity  of  a 
regular  Poem.^  The  same  model  offered  other  facilities,  as  it  per- 
mits an  occasional  alteration  of  measure,  which,   in   some  degree. 


1  ["  The  chief  excellence  of '  The  Lay  '  consists  in  the  beauty  of  the  descrip- 
tions of  local  scenery,  and  the  accurate  picture  of  customs  and  manners  among 
the  Scottish  Borderers  at  the  time  it  refers  to.  The  various  exploits  and  adven- 
tures which  occur  in  those  half-civilized  times,  when  the  bands  of  government 
were  so  loosely  twisted,  that  every  man  depended  for  safety  more  on  his  own 
arm,  or  the  prowess  of  his  chief,  than  on  the  civil  power,  may  be  said  to  hold  a 
middle  rank  between  history  and  private  anecdote.  War  is  always  most  pict- 
uresque where  it  is  least  formed  into  a  science;  it  has  most  variety  and  interest 
where  the  prowess  and  activity  of  individuals  has  most  play;  and  the  nocturnal 
expedition  of  Diomed  and  Ulj'sses  to  seize  the  chariot  and  horses  of  Rhesus, 
or  a  raid  oi  the  Scotts  or  the  Kerrs  to  drive  cattle,  will  make  a  better  figure  in 
verse,  than  all  the  battles  of  the  great  King  of  Prussia.  The  sleuth-dog,  the 
beacon-Jircs,  the  Jedioood-axes,  the  moss-troopers,  the  yell  of  the  slogan,  and  all 
the  irregular  warfare  of  predatory  expeditions,  or  feuds  of  hereditary  vengeance, 
are  far  more  captivating  to  the  imagination  than  a  park  of  artillery  and  battal- 
ions of  well-drilled  soldiers." — Annual  Reviezu,  1804.] 


24  THE  LAY  OF 


authorizes  the  change  of  rhythm  in  the  text.^  The  machinery  also, 
adopted  from  popular  belief,  would  have  seemed  puerile  in  a  Poem 
which  did  not  partake  of  tlic  rudeness  of  the  old  Ballad,  or  Metri- 
cal Romance. 

For  these  reasons,  the  Poem  was  put  into  the  mouth  of  an  ancient 
Minstrel,  the  last  of  the  race,  who,  as  he  is  supposed  to  have  sur- 
vived the  Revolution,  might  have  caught  somewhat  of  the  refine- 
ment of  modern  poetry,  without  losing  the  simplicity  of  his  original 
model.  The  date  of  the  Tale  itself  is  about  the  middle  of  the  six- 
teenth centur}',  when  most  of  the  personages  actually  flourished. 
The  time  occupied  by  the  action  is  Tliree  Nights  and  Three  Days.* 

1  ["  It  must  be  observed  that  there  is  this  difference  between  the  license  of  the 
old  romancer  and  tliat  assumed  by  Mr.  Scott :  the  abenaiions  of  the  first  are 
usually  casual  and  slight ;  tliose  of  the  other  premeditated  and  systematic.  The 
old  romancer  may  be  compared  to  a  man  who  trusts  his  reins  to  his  horse;  his 
palfrey  often  blunders,  and  occasionally  breaks  his  pace,  sometimes  from  viva- 
city, oftener  through  indolence.     Mr.  Scott  sets  out  with  the  intention  of  diversi- 

.fying  his  journey  by  every  variety  of  motion.  He  is  now  at  a  trot,  now  at  a 
gallop;  nay,  he  sometimes  stops,  as  if  to 

'  Make  graceful  caprioles,  and  prance 
Between  the  pillars.' 

A  main  objection  to  this  plan  is  to  be  found  in  the  shock  which  the  ear  receives 
from  violent  and  abrupt  transitions.  On  the  other  liand,  it  must  be  allowed 
that  as  different  species  of  verse  are  individually  better  suited  to  the  expression 
of  the  different  ideas,  sentiments,  and  passions,  which  it  is  the  object  of  poetry 
to  convey,  the  happiest  efforts  may  be  produced  by  adapting  to  the  subject  its 
most  congenial  structure  of  verse."  —  Ciifical  Revino,  1805. 

"From  the  novelty  of  i;s  style  and  subject,  and  from  the  spirit  of  its  execu- 
tion, Mr.  Scott's  'Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel'  kindled  a  sort  of  enthusiasm  among 
all  classes  of  readers;  and  the  concurrent  voice  of  the  public  assigned  to  it  a 
very  exalted  rank,  which,  on  more  cool  and  dispassionate  examination,  its  nu- 
merous essential  beauties  will  enable  it  to  maintain.  For  vivid  richness  of  col- 
oring and  truth  of  costume,  many  of  its  descriptive  pictures  stand  almost 
unrivalled;  it  carries  us  back  in  imagination  to  the  time  of  action;  and  we 
wander  with  the  poet  along  Tweedside,  or  among  the  wild  glades  of  Ettricke 
Forest."  —  Monthly  Review,  May,  1808.] 

2  ["We  consider  this  poem  as  an  attempt  to  transfer  the  refinements  of 
modern  poetry  to  the  matter  and  the  manner  of  the  ancient  metrical  romance. 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


25 


'I'lie  author,  enamored  of  the  lofty  visions  of  chivalry,  and  partial  to  the  strains 
in  which  they  were  formerly  embodied,  seems  to  have  employed  all  the  resources 
of  his  genius  in  endeavoring  to  recall  them  to  the  favor  and  admiration  of 
the  public,  and  in  adapting  to  the  taste  of  modern  readers  a  species  of  poetry 
which  was  once  the  delight  of  the  courtly,  but  has  long  ceased  to  gladden  any 
other  eyes  than  those  of  the  scholar  and  the  antiquary.  This  is  a  romance, 
therefore,  composed  by  a  minstrel  of  the  present  day  ;  or  such  a  romance  as  we 
may  suppose  would  have  been  written  in  modern  times,  if  that  stvle  of  compo 
sition  had  continued  to  be  cultivated,  and  partakes  consequently  of  the  improve- 
ments which  every  branch  of  literature  has  received  since  the  time  of  its  deser- 
tion."—  Jeffrey,  April,  1805.] 


THE 


LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


IJV  SLY  CANTOS. 


Dum  relego,  scripsisse  pudel ;  quia  pliirima  cerno 
Me  quoque,  qui  feci,  judice,  digna  lini. 


THE 


LAY    OF    THE    LAST    MINSTREL. 


oi»ic 


Jtittrjodxxctiou. 


The  way  was  long,  the  wind  was  cold, 

The  Minstrel  was  infirm  and  old  ; 

His  wither'd  cheek,  and  tresses  gray, 

Seem'd  to  liave  known  a  better  day  ; 

The  harp,  his  sole  remaining  joy, 

Was  carried  by  an  orphan  boy. 

The  last  of  all  the  Bards  was  he, 

Who  sung  of  Border  chi\alry  ; 

For,  welladay  !  their  date  was  fled, 

His  tuneful  brethren  all  were  dead  ; 

And  he,  neglected  and  oppress'd, 

Wish'd  to  be  with  them,  and  at  rest. 

No  more  on  prancing  palfrey  borne, 

He  caroU'd,  light  as  lark  at  morn  ; 

No  longer  courted  and  caress'd, 

High  placed  in  hall,  a  welcome  guest, 

He  pour'd,  to  lord  and  lady  gay, 

The  unpremeditated  lay : 

Old  times  were  changed,  old  manners  gone ; 


30  THE  LAY  OF 

A  stranger  fill'd  the  Stuarts'  throne  ; 
The  bigots  of  the  iron  time 
Had  call'd  his  harmless  art  a  crime. 
A  wandering  Har^Der,  scorn'd  and  ])oor. 
He  begg'd  his  bread  from  door  to  door. 
And  tuned,  to  please  a  peasant's  ear, 
The  harp,  a  king  had  loved  to  hear. 

He  pass'd  where  Newark's  ^  stately  tower 
Looks  out  from  Yarrow's  birchen  bower  : 

1  ["  This  is  a  massive  square  tower,  now  unroofed  and  ruinous,  surrounded 
bv  an  outward  wall,  defended  by  round  flanking  turrets.  It  is  most  beautifully 
situated,  about  three  miles  from  Selkirk,  upon  the  banks  of  the  Yarrow,  a  fierce 
and  precipitous  stream,  which  unites  with  the  Ettricke  about  a  mile  beneath  the 
castle. 

"  Newark  Castle  was  built  by  James  II.  The  royal  arms,  with  the  unicorn, 
are  engraved  on  a  stone  in  the  western  side  of  the  tower.  There  was  a  much 
more  ancient  castle  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  called  Auldwark,  founded  it  is 
said  by  Alexander  III.  Both  were  designed  for  the  royal  residence  when  the 
King  was  disposed  to  take  his  pleasure  in  the  extensive  forest  of  Ettricke. 
Various  grants  occur  in  the  records  of  the  Privy  Seal,  bestowing  the  keeping  of 
the  Castle  of  Newark  upon  different  barons.  There  is  a  popular  tradition, 
that  it  was  once  seized  and  held  out  by  the  outlaw  Murray,  a  noted  character 
in  song,  who  only  surrendered  Newark  upon  condition  of  being  made  hereditary 
sheriff  of  the  forest.  A  long  ballad,  containing  an  account  of  this  transaction, 
is  preserved  in  the  'Border  Minstrelsy'  (vol.  i.  p.  369).  Upon  the  marriage 
of  James  IV.  with  Margaret,  sister  of  Henry  VIII.,  the  Castle  of  Newark,  with 
the  whole  Forest  of  Ettricke,  was  assigned  to  her  as  a  part  of  her  jointure  lands. 
But  of  this  she  could  make  little  advantage ;  for,  after  the  death  of  her  husband, 
she  is  found  complaining  heavily,  that  Buccleuch  had  seized  upon  these  lands. 
Indeed,  the  office  of  keeper  was  latterly  held  by  the  family  of  Buccleuch,  and 
with  so  firm  a  grasp,  that  when  the  Forest  of  Ettricke  was  disparked,  they  ob- 
tained a  grant  of  the  Castle  of  Newark  in  property.  It  was  within  the  court- 
yard of  this  Castle  that  General  Lesly  did  military  execution  upon  the  prisoners 
whom  he  had  taken  at  the  battle  of  Philiphaugh.  The  castle  continued  to  be 
an  occasional  seat  of  the  Buccleuch  family  for  more  than  a  century;  and  here, 
it  is  said,  the  Duchess  of  Monmouth  and  Buccleuch  was  brought  up.  For  this 
reason,  probably,  Mr.  Scott  has  chosen  to  make  it  the  scene  in  which  the  '  Lay 
ofJhe  Last  Minstrel"  is  recited  in  her  presence,  and  for  her  amusement."  — 
SCHETKY'S  Illustrations  of  the  Lay  of  the  Last  Mmstrel, 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


31 


The  Minstrel  gazed  with  wishful  eye  — 
No  humbler  resting-place  was  nigh. 
With  hesitating  step  at  last, 
The  embattled  portal  arch  he  pass'd, 
Whose  ponderous  grate  and  massy  bar 
Had  oft  roll'd  back  the  tide  of  war, 
But  never  closed  the  iron  door 
Against  the  desolate  and  poor. 
The  Duchess  ^  marked  his  weary  pace, 
His  timid  mien,  and  reverend  face, 
And  bade  her  page  the  menials  tell, 
That  they  should  tend  the  old  man  well  : 
For  she  had  known  adversity. 
Though  born  in  such  a  liigh  degree  ; 
In  pride  of  power,  in  beauty's  bloom, 
Had  wept  o'er  Monmouth's  bloody  tomb  ! 

When  kindness  had  his  wants  supplied, 
And  the  old  man  was  gratified, 
Began  to  rise  his  minstrel  pride  : 
And  he  began  to  talk  anon. 
Of  good  Earl  Francis,-  dead  and  gone. 
And  of  Earl  Walter,^  rest  him,  God  ! 

It  may  be  added  tliat  Bowhill  was  the  favorite  residence  of  Lord  and  Lady 
Dalkeith  (afterwards  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Buccleuch),  at  the  time  when  the 
poem  was  composed;  the  ruins  of  Newark  are  all  but  included  in  the  park 
attached  to  that  modern  seat  of  the  family;  and  Sir  Walter  Scott,  no  doubt, 
was  influenced  in  his  choice  of  the  locality,  by  the  predilection  of  the  charm- 
ing lady  who  suggested  the  subject  of  his  "  Lay  "  for  the  scenery  of  the  Yarrow, 
a  beautiful  walk  on  whose  banks,  leading  from  the  house  to  the  old  castle,  is 
called,  in  memory  of  her,  the  Duchess's  Walk.  —  ED.] 

1  Anne,  Duchess  of  Buccleuch  and  Monmouth,  representative  of  the  ancient 
Lords  of  Buccleuch,  and  widow  of  the  unfortunate  James,  Duke  of  Monmouth, 
who  was  beheaded  in  1685. 

2  Francis  Scott,  Earl  of  Buccleuch,  father  of  the  Duchess. 

3  Walter,  Earl  of  Buccleuch,  grandfather  of  the  Duchess,  and  a  celebrated 
warrior. 


THE  LAY  OF 


A  braver  ne'er  to  battle  rode  ; 

And  how  full  many  a  tale  he  knew, 

Of  the  old  warriors  of  Buccleuch  : 

And,  would  the  noble  Duchess  deign 

To  listen  to  an  old  man's  strain, 

Though  stiff  his  hand,  his  voice  though  weak, 

He  thought  even  yet,  the  sooth  to  speak. 

That,  if  she  loved  the  har])  to  hear, 

He  could  make  music  to  her  car. 

The  humble  boon  was  soon  obtain'd  : 
The  Aged  Minstrel  audience  gain'd. 
J>ut,  when  he  reach'd  the  room  of  state, 
Where  she,  with  all  her  ladies,  sate, 
Perchance  he  wish'd  his  boon  denied  : 
For,  when  to  tune  his  harp  he  tried. 
His  trembling  hand  had  lost  the  ease. 
Which  marks  security  to  please  ; 
And  scenes,  long  past,  of  joy  and  i)ain. 
Came  wildering  o'er  his  aged  brain  — 
He  tried  to  tune  his  harp  in  vain  ! 
The  pitying  Duchess  praised  its  chime. 
And  gave  him  heart,  and  gave  him  time. 
Till  every  string's  according  glee 
Was  blended  into  harmony. 
And  then,  he  said,  he  woukl  full  fain 
He  could  recall  an  ancient  strain. 
He  never  thought  to  sing  again. 
It  was  not  framed  for  village  churls, 
But  for  high  dames  and  mighty  earls  ; 
He  had  play'd  it  to  King  Charles  the  Cood, 
When  he  kept  court  in  Holyrood  ; 
And  much  he  wish'd,  yet  feared,  to  try 
The  long-forgotten  melody. 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


Zl> 


Amid  the  strings  his  fingers  stray'd, 
And  an  uncertain  warbhng  made, 
And  oft  he  shook  his  hoary  head. 
But  when  he  caught  the  measure  wild, 
Tlie  old  man  raised  his  face,  and  smiled ; 
And  lighten'd  up  his  faded  eye, 
With  all  a  poet's  ecstasy  ! 
In  varying  cadence,  soft  or  strong, 
He  swept  the  sounding  chords  along : 
The  present  scene,  the  future  lot, 
His  toils,  his  wants,  were  all  forgot : 
Cold  diffidence,  and  age's  frost. 
In  the  full  tide  of  song  were  lost ; 
Each  blank,  in  faithless  memory  void, 
The  poet's  glowing  thought  supplied  ; 
And,  while  his  heart  responsive  wrung, 
'Twas  thus  the  Latest  Minstrel  sung.* 

1  ["  In  the  very  first  rank  of  poetical  excellence,  we  are  inclined  to  place  the 
introductory  and  concluding  lines  of  every  Canto,  in  which  the  ancient  strain  is 
suspended,  and  the  feelings  and  situation  of  the  minstrel  himself  described  in 
the  words  of  the  author.  The  elegance  and  the  beauty  of  this  setting;  if  we 
may  so  call  it,  though  entirely  of  modern  workmanship,  appears  to  us  to  be 
fully  more  worthy  of  admiration  than  the  bolder  relief  of  the  antiques  which  it 
encloses,  and  leads  us  to  regret  that  the  author  should  have  wasted,  in  imitation 
a7td  antiquarian  researches,  so  much  of  those  powers  which  seem  fully  equal  to 
the  task  of  raising  hiri  an  independent  reputation,"  —  JEFFREY.] 


®atxt0  ^ivst 


The  feast  was  over  in  Branksome  tower,^ 

And  the  Ladye  had'  gone  to  her  secret  bower ; 

Her  bower  that  was  guarded  by  word  and  by  spell, 

Deadly  to  hear,  and  deadly  to  tell  — 

Jesu  Maria,  shield  us  well  ! 

No  living  wight,  save  the  Ladye  alone, 

Had  dared  to  cross  the  threshold  stone. 


II. 

The  tables  were  drawn,  it  was  idlesse  all ; 

Knight,  and  page,  and  household  squire. 
Loiter' d  through  the  lofty  hall, 

Or  crowded  round  the  ample  fire  : 
The  stag-hounds,  weary  with  the  chase, 

Lay  stretch'd  upon  the  rushy  floor. 
And  urged,  in  dreams,  the  forest  race, 

From  Teviot-stone  to  Eskdale-moor.^ 

1  See  Appendix,  Note  A. 

2  ["  The  ancient  romance  owes  much  of  its  interest  to  the  lively  picture  which 
it  affords  of  the  times  of  chivalry,  and  of  those  usages,  manners,  and  institutions, 
which  v/e  have  been  accustomed  to  associate  in  our  minds  with  a  certain  com- 
bination of  magnificence  with  simplicity,  and  ferocity  with  romantic  honor. 
The  representations  contained  in  those  performances,  however,  are  for  the  most 
part  too  rude  and  naked  to  give  complete  satisfaction.  The  execution  is  always 
extremely  unequal;  and  though  the  writer  sometimes  touches  upon  the  appro- 
priate feeling  with  great  effect  and  felicity,  still  this  appears  to  be  done  more  by 


36  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  i. 

III. 

Nine-and-twenty  knights  of  fame 

Hung  their  shields  in  Branksome-Hall ;  i 
Nine-and-twenty  squires  of  name 

Brought  them  their  steeds  to  bower  from  stall ; 
Nine-and-twenty  yeomen  tall 
Waited,  duteous,  on  them  all : 
They  were  all  knights  of  mettle  true, 
Kinsmen  to  the  bold  Buccleuch. 

IV. 
Ten  of  them  were  sheathed  in  steel, 
With  belted  sword,  and  spur  on  heel : 
They  quitted  not  their  harness  bright, 
Neither  by  day,  nor  yet  by  night : 
They  lay  down  to  rest, 
With  corslet  laced, 
Pillow'd  on  buckler  cold  and  hard ; 
They  carved  at  the  meal 
With  gloves  of  steel. 
And  they  drank  the  red  wine  tlirough  the  helmet  barr'd. 

accident  than  design;  and  he  wanders  away  immediately  into  all  sorts  of  ludi- 
crous or  uninteresting  details,  without  any  apparent  consciousness  of  incon- 
gruity. These  defects  Mr.  Scott  has  corrected  with  admirable  address  and 
judgment  in  the  greater  part  of  the  work  now  before  us;  and  while  he  has  ex- 
hibited a  very  striking  and  impressive  picture  of  the  old  feudal  usages  and 
institutions,  he  has  shown  still  greater  talent  in  engrafting  upon  those  descrip- 
tions all  the  tender  or  magnanimous  emotions  to  which  the  circumstances  of 
the  story  naturally  give  rise.  Without  impairing  the  antique  air  of  the  whole 
piece,  or  violating  the  simplicity  of  the  ballad  style,  he  has  contrived,  in  this 
way,  to  impart  a  much  greater  dignity  and  more  powerful  interest  to  his  pro- 
duction, than  could  ever  be  obtained  by  the  unskilful  and  unsteady  delinea- 
tions of  the  old  romancers.  Nothing,  we  think,  can  afford  a  finer  illustration 
of  this  remark,  than  the  opening  stanzas  of  the  whole  poem ;  they  transport  us 
at  once  into  the  days  of  knightly  daring  and  feudal  hostility,  at  the  same  time 
that  they  suggest,  in  a  very  interesting  way,  all  those  softer  sentiments  which 
arise  out  of  some  parts  of  the  description." — JEFFREY.] 
1  See  Appendix,  Note  B. 


CANTO  I.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  37 

V. 
Ten  squires,  ten  yeomen,  mail-clad  men, 
Waited  the  beck  of  the  warders  ten  ; 
Thirty  steeds,  both  fleet  and  wight. 
Stood  saddled  in  stable  day  and  night, 
Barbed  with  frontlet  of  steel,  I  trow, 
And  with  Jed  wood-axe  at  saddlebow  ;  ^ 
A  hundred  more  fed  free  in  stall :  — 
Such  was  the  custom  of  Branksome-Hall. 

VI. 
Why  do  these  steeds  stand  ready  dight? 
Why  watch  these  warriors,  arm'd,  by  night?  — 
They  watch,  to  hear  the  blood-hound  baying : 
They  watch,  to  hear  the  war-horn  braying ; 
To  see  St.  George's  red  cross  streaming. 
To  see  the  midnight  beacon  gleaming  : 
They  watch,  against  Southern  force  and  guile. 

Lest  Scroop,  or  Howard,  or  Percy's  powers. 

Threaten  Branksome's  lordly  towers, 
From  Warkworth,  or  Naworth,  or  merry  Carlisle.- 

1  "  Of  a  truth,"  says  Fioissart,  "  the  Scottish  cannot  boast  great  skill  with  the 
bow,  but  rather  bear  axes,  with  which,  in  time  of  need,  they  give  heavy  strokes." 
The  Jeciwood-axe  was  a  sort  of  partisan,  used  by  horsemen,  as  appears  from 
the  arms  of  Jedburgh,  which  bear  a  cavalier  mounted  and  armed  with  this 
weapon.     It  is  also  called  a  Jedwood  or  Jeddart  staff. 

2  [See  Appendix,  Note  C,  and  compare  these  stanzas  with  the  description  of 
Jamie  Telfer's  appearance  at  Branksome-Hall  (Border  Minstrelsy,  vol.  ii.  p.  5), 
to  claim  the  protection  of  "  Auld  Buccleuch"  —  and  the  ensuing  scene  (page 

9)- 

"  Ihe  Scotts  they  rade,  the  Scotts  they  ran, 

Sae  starkly  and  sae  steadilie ! 

And  aye  the  ower-word  o'  the  thrang 

Was  — '  Rise  for  Branksome  readilie,'  "  &c. 

Compare  also  the  Ballad  of  "  Kinmont  Willie"  {Border  Minstrelsy,  vol.  ii.  p.  53), 
"  Now  word  is  gane  to  the  bauld  keeper, 
In  Branksome  ha'  where  that  he  lay,"  &c.  —  Ed.] 


38  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  I. 

VII. 

Such  is  the  custom  of  Branksome-Hall.  —  ^ 

Many  a  vahant  knight  is  here  ; 
But  lie,  the  chieftain  of  them  all, 
His  sword  hangs  rusting  on  the  wall, 
Beside  his  broken  spear. 

Bards  long  shall  tell, 

How  Lord  Walter  fell !  ^ 

When  startled  Burghers  fled,  afar, 

The  furies  of  the  Border  war  ; 

When  the  streets  of  high  Dunedin^ 

Saw  lances  gleam,  and  falchions  redden, 

And  heard  the  slogan's  "*  deadly  yell  — ■ 

Then  the  Chief  of  Branksome  fell. 

VIII. 

Can  piety  the  discord  heal, 

Or  stanch  the  death-feud's  enmity? 
Can  Christian  lore,  can  patriot  zeal, 

Can  love  of  blessed  charity  ? 
No  !  vainly  to  each  holy  shrine, 

In  mutual  pilgrimage  they  drew ; 
Implored,  in  vain,  the  grace  divine 

For  chiefs,  their  own  red  falchions  slew : 
While  Cessford  owns  the  rule  of  Carr, 

\Miile  Ettrick  boasts  the  line  of  Scott, 
The  slaughter'd  chiefs,  the  mortal  jar, 
The  havoc  of  the  feudal  war, 

Shall  never,  never  be  forgot  !  ^ 

1   [There  are  not  many  passages  in  English  poetry  more  impressive  than 
some  parts  of  stanzas  vii.,viii.,  ix."  —  JEFFREY.] 
-  See  Appendix,  Note  D. 
3  Edinburgh. 

■*  The  war-cry,  or  gathering  word,  of  a  Border  clan. 
5  Among  other  expedients  resorted  to  for  stanching  the  feud  betwixt  the 


CANTO  I.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  39 


IX. 

In  sorrow  o'er  Lord  Walter's  bier 

The  warlike  foresters  had  bent ; 
And  many  a  flower,  and  many  a  tear, 

Old  Teviot's  maids  and  matrons  lent : 
But  o'er  her  warrior's  bloody  bier 
The  Ladye  dropp'd  nor  flower  nor  tear  !  ^ 

Vengeance,  deep-brooding  o'er  the  slain, 

Had  lock'd  the  source  of  softer  woe  ; 
And  burning  pride,  and  high  disdain, 

Forbade  the  rising  tear  to  flow ; 
Until,  amid  his  sorrowing  clan. 

Her  son  lisp'd  from  the  nurse's  knee  — 

Scotts  and  the  Kerrs,  there  was  a  bond  executed  in  1529,  between  the  heads  of 
each  clan,  binding  themselves  to  perform  reciprocally  the  four  principal  pilgri- 
mages of  Scotland  for  the  benefit  of  the  souls  of  those  of  the  opposite  name  who 
had  fallen  in  the  quarrel.  This  indenture  is  printed  in  the  Minstrelsy  of  the 
Scottish  Border,  vol.  i.  But  either  it  never  took  effect,  or  else  the  feud  was 
renewed  shortly  afterwards. 

Such  pactions  were  not  uncommon  in  feudal  times ;  and,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected, they  were  often,  as  in  the  present  case,  void  of  the  effect  desired.  When 
Sir  Walter  Mauny,  the  renowned  follower  of  Edward  III.,  had  taken  the  town 
of  Ryol  in  Gascony,  he  remembered  to  have  heard  that  his  father  lay  there  buried, 
and  offered  a  hundred  crowns  to  any  one  who  could  show  him  his  grave.  A  very 
old  man  appeared  before  Sir  Walter,  and  informed  him  of  the  manner  of  his 
father's  death,  and  the  place  of  his  sepulture.  It  seems  the  Lord  of  Mauny  had, 
at  a  great  tournament,  unhorsed,  and  wounded  to  the  death,  a  Gascon  knight,  of 
the  house  of  Mirepoix,  whose  kinsman  was  Bishop  of  Cambray.  For  this  deed 
he  was  held  at  feud  by  the  relations  of  the  knight,  until  he  agreed  to  undertake 
a  pilgrimage  to  the  shrine  of  St.  James  of  Compostella,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
soul  of  the  deceased.  But  as  he  returned  through  the  town  of  Ryol,  after  ac- 
complishment of  his  vow,  he  was  beset  and  treacherously  slain  by  the  kindred 
of  the  knight  whom  he  had  killed.  Sir  Walter,  guided  by  the  old  man,  visited 
the  lowly  tomb  of  his  father;  and,  having  read  the  inscription,  which  was  in 
Latin,  he  caused  the  body  to  be  raised  and  transported  to  his  native  city  of 
Valenciennes,  where  masses  were,  in  the  days  of  Froissart,  duly  said  for  the 
soul  of  the  unfortunate  pilgrim.—  Chrotiycle  (^/■FROISSART,  vol.  i.,  p.  123. 

1   {^Orig.     (ist  Edition.)     " The  Ladye  dropp'd  nor  sigh  nor  tear."] 


40 


THE  LAY  OF  [canto  I. 


"  And  if  I  live  to  be  a  man, 
My  father's  deatli  revenged  shall  be  !  " 
Then  fast  the  mother's  tears  did  seek 
To  dew  the  infant's  kindling  cheek. 

X. 

All  loose  her  negligent  attire, 

All  loose  her  golden  hair, 
Hung  Margaret  o'er  her  slaughter'd  sire, 

And- wept  in  wild  despair. 
But  not  alone  the  bitter  tear 

Had  filial  grief  supplied  ; 
For  hopeless  love,  and  anxious  fear, 

Had  lent  their  mingled  tide  : 
Nor  in  her  mother's  alter'd  eye 
Dared  she  to  look  for  sympathy. 

Her  lover,  'gainst  her  father's  clan. 

With  Carr  in  arms  had  stood, ^ 
When  Mathouse-burn  to  Melrose  ran, 

All  purple  with  their  blood  \ 
And  well  she  knew,  her  mother  dread, 
Before  Lord  Cranstoun  she  would  wed,^ 
Would  see  her  on  her  dying  bed. 

1  The  family  of  Ker,  Kerr,  or  Carr*  was  very  powerful  on  the  Border. 
Fynes  Morrison  remarks,  in  his  Travels,  that  their  influence  extended  from  the 
village  of  Preston-Grange  in  Lothian,  to  the  limits  of  England.  Cessford  Castle, 
the  ancient  baronial  residence  of  the  family,  is  situated  near  the  village  of  More- 
battle,  within  two  or  three  miles  of  the  Cheviot  Hills.  It  has  been  a  place  of 
great  strength  and  consequence,  but  is  now  ruinous.  Tradition  affirms  that  it 
was  founded  by  Halbert,  or  Habby  Kerr,  a  gigantic  warrior,  concerning  whom 
many  stories  are  current  in  Roxburghshire.  The  Duke  of  Roxburghe  repre- 
sents Kerr  of  Cessford.  A  distinct  and  powerful  branch  of  the  same  name  own 
the  Marquis  of  Lothian  as  their  chief.  Hence  the  distinction  betwixt  Kerrs  of 
Cessford  and  Fairnihirst. 

2  The  Cranstouns,  Lord  Cranstoun,  are  an  ancient  Border  family,  whose 

*  The  name  is  spelt  differently  by  the  various  families  who  bear  it.  Carr  is  selected, 
not  as  correct,  but  as  the  most  poetical  reading- 


CANTO  I.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  41 

XI. 

Of  noble  race  the  Ladye  came, 
Her  father  was  a  clerk  of  fame, 

Of  Bethune's  line  of  Picardie  :  ^ 
He  learn'd  the  art  that  none  may  name. 

In  Padua,  far  beyond  the  sea.- 
Men  said  he  changed  his  mortal  frame 

By  feat  of  magic  mystery  ; 
For  when,  in  studious  mood,  he  paced 

St.  Andrew's  cloister'd  hall,^ 
His  form  no  darkening  shadow  traced 

Upon  the  sunny  wall  !  '* 

XII. 

And  of  his  skill,  as  bards  avow, 
He  taught  that  Ladye  fair, 

chief  seat  was  at  Crailing,  in  Teviotdale.  They  were  at  this  time  at  feud  with 
the  clan  of  Scott;  for  it  appears  that  the  Lady  Buccleuch,  in  1557,  beset  the 
Laird  of  Cranstoun,  seeking  his  Ufe.  Nevertheless,  the  same  Cranstoun,  or 
perhaps  his  son,  was  married  to  a  daughter  of  the  same  lady. 

1  See  Appendix,  Note  E. 

2  Padua  was  long  supposed,  by  the  Scottish  peasants,  to  be  the  principal 
school  of  necromancy.  Tlie  Earl  of  Gowrie,  slain  at  Perth,  in  1600,  pretended 
during  his  studies  in  Italy  to  have  acquired  some  knowledge  of  the  cabala,  by 
which,  he  said,  he  could  charm  snakes,  and  work  other  miracles ;  and,  in  par- 
ticular, could  produce  children  without  the  intercourse  of  the  sexes.  —  See  the 
examination  ofWemyss  of  Bogie  before  the  Privy  Council  concerning  Cowrie's 
Conspiracy. 

3  [First  Edition  —  "  St.  Kcntigernc's  hall."  —  St.  Mungo,  or  Kentigern,  is  the 
patron  saint  of  Glas^oiv.'] 

4  The  shadow  of  a  necromancer  is  independent  of  the  sun.  Glycas  informs 
us  that  Simon  Magus  caused  his  shadow  to  go  before  him,  making  people  be- 
lieve it  was  an  attendant  spirit.  —  Heywood'S  Hierarchic,  p.  475.  The  vulgar 
conceive  that  when  a  class  of  students  have  made  a  certain  progress  in  their 
mystic  studies,  they  are  obliged  to  run  through  a  subterraneous  hall,  where  the 
devil  literally  catches  the  hindmost  in  the  race,  unless  he  crosses  the  hall  so 
speedily  that  the  arch-enemy  can  only  apprehend  his  shadow.  In  the  latter 
case,  the  person  of  the  sage  never  after  throws  any  shade  :  and  those  who  have 
thus  lost  their  shadow  always  prove  the  best  magicians. 


42  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  i. 

Till  to  her  bidding  she  could  bow 

The  viewless  forms  of  air.^ 
And  now  she  sits  in  secret  bower, 
In  old  Lord  David's  western  tower, 
And  listens  to  a  heavy  sound, 
That  moans  the  mossy  turrets  round. 
Is  it  the  roar  of  Teviot's  tide, 
That  chafes  against  the  scaur's  -  red  side  ? 
Is  it  the  wind,  that  swings  the  oaks  ? 
Is  it  the  echo  from  the  rocks  ? 
What  may  it  be,  the  heavy  sound. 
That  moans  old  Branksome's  turrets  round? 

XIIL 

At  the  sullen,  moaning  sound, 

The  ban-dogs  bay  and  howl ; 
And,  from  the  turrets  round, 

Loud  hoops  the  startled  owl. 
In  the  hall,  both  squire  and  knight 

Swore  that  a  storm  was  near, 
And  looked  forth  to  view  the  night ; 

But  the  night  was  still  and  clear  ! 

XIV. 

From  the  sound  of  Teviot's  tide. 
Chafing  with  the  mountain's  side. 
From  the  groan  of  the  wind-swung  oak. 
From  the  sullen  echo  of  the  rock. 
From  the  voice  of  the  coming  storm, 

The  Ladye  knew  it  well  ! 
It  was  the  Spirit  of  the  Flood  that  spoke. 

And  he  call'd  on  the  Spirit  of  the  Fell. 

1  See  Appendix,  Note  F. 

2  Scaur,  a  precipitous  bank  of  earth. 


CANTO  I.]  THE  LAST  MTNSTREL.  43 

XV. 

RIVER    SPIRIT. 

"  Sleep'st  thou,  brother?  "  — 

MOUNTAIN    SPIRIT. 

—  "  Brother,  nay  — 
On  my  hills  the  moonbeams  play. 
From  Craik-cross  to  Skelfhill-pen, 
By  every  rill,  in  every  glen, 

INIerry  elves  their  morris  pacing, 

To  aerial  minstrelsy, 
Emerald  rings  on  brown  heath  tracing, 

Trip  it  cleft  and  merrily. 
Up,  and  mark  their  nimble  feet  ! 
Up,  and  list  their  music  sweet  I  "  — 

XVI. 

RIVER    SPIRIT. 

"  Tears  of  an  imprison'd  maiden 

Mix  with  my  polluted  stream  ; 
Margaret  of  Branksome,  sorrow-laden. 

Mourns  beneath  the  moon's  pale  beam. 
Tell  me,  thou,  who  view'st  the  stars. 
When  shall  cease  these  feudal  jars  ? 
What  shall  be  the  maiden's  fate? 
Who  shall  be  the  maiden's  mate?  "  — 

XVII. 

MOUNTAIN    SPIRIT. 

"  Arthur's  slow  wain  his  course  doth  roll, 
In  utter  darkness  round  the  pole  ; 
The  Northern  Bear  lowers  black  and  grim, 
Orion's  studded  belt  is  dim  ; 


44  THE  LAV  OF  [canto  i. 

Twinkling  faint,  and  distant  far, 
Shimmers  through  mist  each  planet  star; 

111  may  I  read  their  high  decree  ! 
But  no  kind  influence  deign  they  shower 
On  Teviot's  tide,  and  Branksome's  tower, 

Till  pride  be  quell'd,  and  love  be  free." 

X\TII. 

The  unearthly  voices  ceast. 

And  the  heavy  sound  was  still ; 
It  died  on  the  river's  breast. 

It  died  on  the  side  of  the  hill. 
But  round  Lord  David's  tower 

The  sound  still  floated  near ; 
For  it  rung  in  the  Ladye's  bower, 

And  it  rung  in  the  Ladye's  ear. 
She  raised  her  stately  head. 

And  her  heart  throbb'd  high  with  pride  :  — 
"  Your  mountains  shall  bend, 
And  your  streams  ascend, 

Ere  Margaret  be  our  foeman's  bride  ! " 

XIX. 

The  Ladye  sought  the  lofty  hall, 

^^'here  many  a  bold  retainer  lay, 
And,  with  jocund  din,  among  them  all, 

Her  son  pursued  his  infant  play. 
A  fancied  moss-trooper,^  the  boy 

The  truncheon  of  a  spear  bestrode, 
And  round  the  hall,  right  merrily. 

In  mimic  foray-  rode. 

1  See  Appendix,  Note  G. 
-  Foray,  a  predatory  inroad. 


"  She  raised  her  stately  head, 
And  her  heart  throbb'd  high  with  pride." 

Canto  i.  li 


CANTO  I.]  THE  LAST  MrNSTREL.  45 

Even  bearded  knights,  in  arms  grown  old, 

Share  in  his  frolic  gambols  bore, 
Albeit  their  hearts  of  rugged  mould, 

Were  stubborn  as  the  steel  they  wore. 
For  the  gray  warriors  prophesied, 

How  the  brave  boy,  in  future  war, 
Should  tame  the  Unicorn's  pride,^ 

Exalt  the  Crescent  and  the  Star.^ 

XX. 

The  Ladye  forgot  her  purpose  high. 

One  moment,  and  no  more  ; 
One  moment  gazed  with  a  mother's  eye, 

As  she  paused  at  the  arched  door  : 
Then  from  amid  the  armed  train. 
She  call'd  to  her  William  of  Deloraine.^ 

XXI. 

A  stark  moss-trooping  Scott  was  he. 
As  e'er  couch'd  Border  lance  by  knee  : 
Through  Solway  sands,  through  Tarras  moss. 
Blindfold,  he  knew  the  paths  to  cross  ; 
By  wily  turns,  by  desperate  bounds, 
Had  baffled  Percy's  best  blood-hounds  ;  ^ 
In  Esk,  or  Liddell,  fords  were  none, 
But  he  would  ride  them,  one  by  one  ; 

1  [Tliis  line,  of  which  the  metre  appears  defective,  would  have  its  full  com- 
plement of  feet  according  to  the  pronunciation  of  the  poet  himself — as  all  who 
were  familiar  with  his  utterance  of  the  letter  r  will  bear  testimony. —  Ed.] 

2  The  arms  of  the  Kerrs  of  Cessford  were  Vert  on  a  cheveron,  betwi.xt  three 
unicorns'  heads  erased  argent,  three  mullets  sable;  crest,  a  unicorn's  head 
erased  proper.  The  Scotts  of  Buccleuch  bore,  Or,  on  a  bend  azure  ;  a  star  of 
si.x  points  betwixt  two  crescents  of  the  first. 

3  See  Appendix,  Note  H. 
*  See  Appendix,  Note  I. 


46  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  i. 

Alike  to  him  was  time  or  tide, 
December's  snow,  or  July's  pride  ; 
Alike  to  him  was  tide  or  time, 
Moonless  midnight,  or  matin  prime  : 
Steady  of  heart,  and  stout  of  hand, 
As  ever  drove  prey  from  Cumberland ; 
Five  times  outlawed  had  he  been. 
By  England's  King,  and  Scotland's  Queen. 

XXII. 

''  Sir  William  of  Deloraine,  good  at  need, 
Mount  thee  on  the  wightest  steed ; 
Spare  not  to  spur,  nor  stint  to  ride. 
Until  thou  come  to  fair  Tweedside  ; 
And  in  Melrose's  holy  pile 
Seek  thou  the  monk  of  St.  Mary's  aisle. 
Greet  the  Father  well  from  me  ; 

Say  that  the  fated  hour  is  come. 
And  to-night  he  shall  watch  with  thee, 

To  win  the  treasure  of  the  tomb  : 
For  this  will  be  St.  Michael's  night, 
And,  though  stars  be  dim,  the  moon  is  bright ; 
And  the  Cross,  of  bloody  red. 
Will  point  to  the  grave  of  the  mighty  dead. 

XXIII. 

"  What  he  gives  thee,  see  thou  keep  \ 

Stay  not  thou  for  food  or  sleep  : 

Be  it  scroll,  or  be  it  book, 

Into  it,  Knight,  thou  must  not  look ; 

If  thou  readest,  thou  art  lorn  ! 

Better  had'st  thou  ne'er  been  born."  — 


"  Soon  ill  his  saddle  sat  he  fast, 
And  soon  the  steep  descent  he  past." 

Canto  i.  25. 


CANTO  I.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  47 

XXIV. 

"  O  swiftly  can  speed  my  dapple-gray  steed, 

Which  drinks  of  the  Teviot  clear ; 
Ere  break  of  day,"  the  Warrior  'gan  say, 

"  Again  will  I  be  here  : 
And  safer  by  none  may  thy  errand  be  done, 

Than,  noble  dame,  by  me  ; 
Letter  nor  line  know  I  never  a  one, 

Were't  my  neck- verse  at  Hairibee."  ^ 

XXV. 

Soon  in  his  saddle  sat  he  fast. 
And  soon  the  steep  descent  he  past, 
Soon  cross'd  the  sounding  barbican,- 
And  soon  the  Teviot  side  he  won. 
Eastward  the  wooded  path  he  rode. 
Green  hazles  o'er  his  basnet  nod  ; 
He  pass'd  the  PeeP  of  Goldiland, 
And  cross'd  old  Borthwick's  roaring  strand  j 
Dimly  he  view'd  the  Moat-hill's  mound, 
Where  Druid  shades  still  flitted  round  :  "* 
In  Hawick  twinkled  many  a  light ; 

1  Hairibee,  the  place  of  executing  the  Border  marauders  at  Carlisle.  The 
neck-verse  is  the  beginning  of  the  51st  Psalm,  Miserere  mei.  Sec,  anciently  read 
by  criminals  claiming  the  benefit  of  clergy.  ["  In  the  rough  but  spirited  sketch 
of  the  marauding  Borderer,  and  in  the  naivete  of  his  last  declaration,  the  reader 
will  recognize  some  of  the  most  striking  features  of  the  ancient  ballad."  —  Criti- 
cal Review?^ 

'-  Barbican,  the  defence  of  the  outer  gate  of  a  feudal  castle. 

3  Peel,  a  Border  tower. 

*  This  is  a  round,  artificial  mount  near  Hawick,  which,  from  its  name  (Iflcit. 
Aiig.  Sax.,  Concilium,  Conventus),y\-a.s  probably  anciently  used  as  a  place  for 
assembling  a  national  council  of  the  adjacent  tribes.  There  are  many  such 
mounds  in  Scotland,  and  they  are  sometimes,  but  rarely,  of  a  square  form. 


48  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  i. 

Behind  him  soon  they  set  in  night ; 
And  soon  he  spurr'd  his  courser  keen 
Beneath  the  tower  of  Hazeldean.i 

XXVI. 

The  clattering  hoofs  the  watchmen  mark  ;  — 
"  Stand,  ho  !  thou  courier  of  the  dark."  — 
"  For  Branksome,  ho  ! "  the  knight  rejoin'd, 
And  left  the  friendly  tower  behind. 

He  turn'd  him  now  from  Teviotside, 
And,  guided  by  the  tinkling  rill, 

Northward  the  dark  ascent  did  ride. 
And  gained  the  moor  at  Horsliehill; 

Broad  on  the  left  before  him  lay, 

For  many  a  mile,  the  Roman  way.^ 

'  XXVII. 

A  moment  now  he  slack'd  his  speed, 
A  moment  breathed  his  panting  steed  ; 
Drew  saddle-girth  and  corslet-band. 
And  loosen' d  in  the  sheath  his  brand. 
On  Minto-crags  the  moonbeams  glint,^ 
Where  Barnhill  hew'd  his  bed  of  flint ; 
Who  flung  his  outlaw'd  limbs  to  rest, 
Where  falcons  hang  their  giddy  nest, 
Mid  cliffs,  from  whence  his  eagle  eye 
For  many  a  league  his  prey  could  spy  ; 
Cliffs,  doubling,  on  their  echoes  borne, 

1  The  estate  of  Hazeldean,  corruptly  Hassendean,  belonged  formerly  to  a 
family  of  Scotts,  thus  commemorated  by  Satchells  :  — 

Hassendean  came  without  a  call, 

The  ancientest  house  among  them  all." 

2  An  ancient  Roman  road,  crossing  through  part  of  Roxburghshire. 

3  See  Appendix,  Note  K. 


CANTO  I.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  49 

The  terrors  of  the  robber's  horn ; 

Cliffs,  which,  for  many  a  later  year, 

The  warbling  Doric  reed  shall  hear, 

When  some  sad  swain  shall  teach  the  grove, 

Ambition  is  no  cure  for  love  ! 


XXVIII. 

Unchallenged,  thence  pass'd  Deloraine, 
To  ancient  Riddel's  fair  domain, ^ 

Where  Aill,  from  mountains  freed, 
Down  from  the  lakes  did  raving  come  ; 
Each  wave  was  crested  with  tawny  foam, 

Like  the  mane  of  a  chesnut  steed. 
In  vain  !  no  torrent,  deep  or  broad. 
Might  bar  the  old  moss-trooper's  road. 

XXIX. 

At  the  first  jilunge  the  horse  sunk  low, 

And  the  water  broke  o'er  the  saddlebow ; 

Above  the  foaming  tide,  I  ween, 

Scarce  half  the  charger's  neck  was  seen  ; 

For  he  was  barded^  from  counter  to  tail, 

And  the  rider  was  armed  complete  in  mail ; 

Never  heavier  man  and  horse 

Stemm'd  a  midnight  torrent's  force. 

The  warrior's  very  plume,  I  say, 

Was  daggled  by  the  dashing  spray; 

Yet,  through  good  heart,  and  Our  Ladye's  grace. 

At  length  he  gain'd  the  landing  place. 

1  See  Appendix,  Note  L. 

2  Barded,  or  barbed,  —  applied  to  a  horse  accoutred  with  defensive  armor, 


^O  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  i. 

XXX. 

Now  Bowden  Moor  the  march-man  won, 

And  sternly  shook  his  plumed  head. 
As  glanced  his  eye  o'er  Halidon  ;  ^ 

For  on  his  soul  the  slaughter  red 
Of  that  unhallow'd  morn  arose, 
When  first  the  Scott  and  Carr  were  foes  ; 
When  royal  James  beheld  the  fray, 
Prize  to  the  victor  of  the  day  ; 
When  Home  and  Douglas,  in  the  van, 
Bore  down  Buccleuch's  retiring  clan. 
Till  gallant  Cessford's  heart-blood  dear 
Reck'd  on  dark  Elliot's  Border  spear. 

XXXI. 

In  bitter  mood  he  spurred  fast, 

And  soon  the  hated  heath  was  past ; 

And  far  beneath,  in  lustre  wan, 

Old  INIelros'  rose,  and  fair  Tweed  ran  : 

Like  some  tall  rock  with  lichens  gray, 

Seem'd  dimly  huge,  the  dark  Abbaye. 

When  Hawick  he  pass'd,  had  curfew  rung, 

Now  midnight  lauds  ~  were  in  Melrose  sung. 

The  sound,  upon  the  fitful  gale, 

In  solemn  wise  did  rise  and  fail, 

Like  that  wild  harp,  whose  magic  tone 

Is  waken'd  by  the  winds  alone. 

But  when  Melrose  he  reach'd,  'twas  silence  all ; 

1  Halidon  was  an  ancient  seat  of  the  Kerrs  of  Cessford,  now  demolislied. 
About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  northward  lay  the  field  of  battle  betwixt  Buc- 
cleuch  and  Angus  which  is  called  to  this  day  the  Skirmish  Field.  —  See  Appen- 
dix, Note  C. 

2  Lauds,  the  midnight  service  of  the  Catholic  church. 


CANTO  I.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  ^  i 

He  meetly  stabled  his  steed  in  stall, 
And  sought  the  convent's  lonely  wall.i 


Here  paused  the  harp  ;  and  with  its  swell 

The  Master's  fire  and  courage  fell : 

Dejectedly,  and  low,  he  bow'd, 

And,  gazing  timid  on  the  crowd, 

He  seem'd  to  seek,  in  every  eye, 

If  they  approved  his  minstrelsy  ; 

And,  dififident  of  present  praise. 

Somewhat  he  spoke  of  former  days, 

And  how  old  age,  and  wand'ring  long. 

Had  done  his  hand  and  harp  some  wrong. 

The  Duchess,  and  her  daughters  fair. 

And  every  gentle  lady  there. 

Each  after  each,  in  due  degree. 

Gave  praises  to  his  melody ; 

His  hand  was  true,  his  voice  was  clear. 

And  much  they  long'd  the  rest  to  hear. 

Encouraged  thus,  the  Aged  Man, 

After  meet  rest,  again  began. 

1  The  ancient  and  beautiful  monastery  of  Melrose  was  founded  by  King 
David  I.  Its  ruins  afford  the  finest  specimen  of  Gothic  architecture  and  Gothic 
sculpture  which  Scotland  can  boast.  The  stone  of  which  it  is  built,  though  it 
has  resisted  the  weather  for  so  many  ages,  retains  perfect  sharpness,  so  that 
even  the  most  minute  ornaments  seem  as  entire  as  when  newly  wrought.  In 
some  of  the  cloisters,  as  is  hinted  in  the  next  Canto,  there  are  representations 
of  flowers,  vegetables,  i&c.,  carved  in  stone,  with  accuracy  and  precision  so  deli- 
cate, that  we  almost  distrust  our  senses,  when  we  consider  the  difficulty  of  sub- 
jecting so  hard  a  substance  to  such  intricate  and  exquisite  modulation.  This 
superb  cor^vent  was  dedicated  to  St.  Mary,  and  the  monks  were  of  the  Cister- 
tian  order.  At  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  they  shared  in  the  general  reproach 
of  sensuality  and  irregularity  thrown  upon  the  Roman  churchmen.  The  old 
words  of  Galashiels,  a  favorite  Scottish  air,  ran  thus  :  — 

"  O  the  monks  of  Melrose  made  gude  kale* 
On  Friday  when  they  fasted: 
They  wanted  neither  beef  nor  ale, 
As  long  as  their  neighbors'  lasted." 
*  Kale,  broth. 


Cant0  J^ccottja. 


I. 

If  thou  would'st  view  fair  Melrose  aright,^ 

Go  visit  it  by  the  pale  moonlight ; 

For  the  gay  beams  of  lightsome  day 

Gild,  but  to  flout,  the  ruins  gray. 

When  the  broken  arches  are  black  in  night, 

And  each  shafted  oriel  glimmers  white  ; 

When  the  cold  light's  uncertain  shower 

Streams  on  the  ruin'd  central  tower ; 

When  buttress  and  buttress,  alternately, 

Seem  framed  of  ebon  and  ivory  ; 

Wlien  silver  edges  the  imagery. 

And  the  scrolls  that  teach  thee  to  live  and  die  ;  ^ 

When  distant  Tweed  is  heard  to  rave. 

And  the  owlet  to  hoot  o'er  the  dead  man's  grave, 

Then  go  —  but  go  alone  the  while  — 

Then  view  St.  David's  ruin'd  pile  ;  ^ 

1  ["  In  the  description  of  Melrose,  which  introduces  the  Second  Canto,  the 
reader  will  observe  how  skilfully  the  author  calls  in  the  aid  of  sentimental  asso- 
ciations to  heighten  the  effect  of  the  picture  which  he  presents  to  the  eye."  — 
Jeffrey.] 

2  The  buttresses,  ranged  along  the  sides  of  the  ruins  of  Melrose  Abbey,  are 
according  to  the  Gothic  style,  richly  carved  and  fretted,  containing  niches  for 
the  statues  of  saints,  and  labelled  with  scrolls,  bearing  appropriate  texts  of 
Scripture.     Most  of  these  statues  have  been  demolished. 

3  David  I.  of  Scotland  purchased  tlie  reputation  of  sanctity,  by  founding^ 
and  liberally  endowing,  not  only  the  monastery  of  Melrose,  but  those  of  Kelso, 
Jedburgh,  and  many  others;  which  led  to  the  well-known  observation  of  bis 
successor,  that  he  was  a  sore  saint  for  the  crown. 


If  thou  wouldst  view  fair  Melrose  aright, 
Go  visit  it  by  the  pale  inooiili^ht." 

Canto 


CANTO  II.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  53 

_ __ — , 

And,  home  returning,  soothly  swear, 
Was  never  scene  so  sad  and  fair  ! 

II. 

Short  halt  did  Deloraine  make  there  ; 

Litde  reck'd  he  of  the  scene  so  fair : 

With  dagger's  hilt,  on  the  wicket  strong. 

He  struck  full  loud,  and  struck  full  long. 

The  porter  hurried  to  the  gate  — 

"  Who  knocks  so  loud,  and  knocks  so  late?  "  — 

"  From  Branksome  I,"  the  warrior  cried  ; 

And  straight  the  wicket  open'd  wide  : 

For  Branksome's  chiefs  had  in  battle  stood. 

To  fence  the  rights  of  fair  Melrose  ; 
And  lands  and  livings,  many  a  rood. 

Had  gifted  the  shrine  for  their  souls'  repose.' 

III. 

Bold  Deloraine  his  errand  said  ; 
The  porter  bent  his  humble  head  ; 
W^ith  torch  in  hand,  and  feet  unshod. 
And  noiseless  step,  the  path  he  trod : 
The  arched  cloister,  far  and  wide, 
Rang  to  the  warrior's  clanking  stride, 
Till,  stooping  low  his  lofty  crest. 
He  enter'd  the  cell  of  the  ancient  priest, 
And  lifted  his  barred  aventayle,- 
To  hail  the  Monk  of  St.  Mary's  aisle. 

1  The  Buccleuch  family  were  great  benefactors  to  the  Abbey  of  Melrose.  As 
early  as  the  reign  of  Robert  II.,  Robert  Scott.  Baron  of  Murdieston  and  Ran- 
kleburn  (now  Buccleuch),  gave  to  the  Monks  the  lands  of  Hinkery,  in  Ettrick 
Forest,  pro  salute  anhna  sues. —  Chartulary  of  JSIelrose,  28th  May,  1415. 

2  Aventayle,  visor  of  the  helmet. 


54  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  ii. 

IV. 

"  The  Ladye  of  Branksome  greets  thee  by  me ; 

Says,  that  the  fated  hour  is  come, 
And  that  to-night  I  shall  watch  with  thee. 

To  win  the  treasure  of  the  tomb."  — 
From  sackcloth  couch  the  Monk  arose, 

With  toil  his  stiffen'd  limbs  he  rear'd  ; 
A  hundred  years  had  flung  their  snows 

On  his  thin  locks  and  floating  beard. 

V. 

And  strangely  on  the  Knight  look'd  he. 

And  his  blue  eyes  gleam'd  wild  and  wide ; 
"And,  darest  thou,  Warrior  !  seek  to  see 

What  heaven  and  hell  alike  would  hide  ? 
My  breast,  in  belt  of  iron  pent, 

With  shirt  of  hair  and  scourge  of  thorn  ; 
For  threescore  years,  in  penance  spent. 

My  knees  those  flinty  stones  have  worn  ; 
Yet  all  too  little  to  atone 
For  knowing  what  should  ne'er  be  known. 

Would'st  thou  thy  every  future  year 
In  ceaseless  prayer  and  penance  drie, 

Yet  wait  thy  latter  end  with  fear  — 
Then,  daring  Warrior,  follow  me  !  "  -- 

VI. 

"Penance,  father,  will  I  none  ; 
Prayer  know  I  hardly  one  ; 
For  mass  or  prayer  can  I  rarely  tarry. 
Save  to  patter  an  Ave  Mary, 


CANTO  II.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  55 

When  I  ride  on  a  Border  foray.  1 

Other  prayer  can  I  none  ; 

So  speed  me  my  errand,  and  let  me  be  gone."  — 

VII. 

Again  on  the  Knight  look'd  the  Churchman  old, 

And  again  he  sighed  heavily  ; 
For  he  had  himself  been  a  warrior  bold, 

And  fought  in  Spain  and  Italy. 
And  he  thought  on  the  days  that  were  long  since  by, 
When  his  limbs  were  strong,  and  his  courage  was  high  :  — 
Now,  slow  and  faint,  he  led  the  way, 
Where,  cloister'd  round,  the  garden  lay ; 
The  pillar'd  arches  were  over  their  head. 
And  beneath  their  feet  were  the  bones  of  the  dead.- 

VIII. 

Spreading  herbs,  and  flowerets  bright, 
Glisten'd  with  the  dew  of  night ; 
Nor  herb,  nor  floweret,  glisten'd  there. 
But  was  carved  in  the  cloister-arches  as  fair. 
The  Monk  gazed  long  on  the  lovely  moon. 
Then  into  the  night  he  looked  forth ; 

1  The  Borderers  were,  as  may  be  supposed,  very  ignorant  about  religious 
matters.  Colville,  in  his  Paranesis,  or  Admonition,  states,  that  the  reformed 
divines  were  so  far  from  undertaking  distant  journeys  to  convert  the  Heathen, 
"  as  I  wold  wis  at  God  that  ye  wold  only  go  bot  to  the  Hielands  and  Borders  of 
our  own  realm,  to  gain  our  awin  countreymen,  who,  for  lack  of  preching  and 
ministration  of  the  sacraments,  must,  with  tyme,  becum  either  infidells  or  athe- 
ists.'' But  we  learn,  from  Lesley,  that,  however  deficient  in  real  religion,  they 
regularly  told  their  beads,  and  never  with  more  zeal  than  when  going  on  a 
plundering  expedition. 

2  The  cloisters  were  frequently  used  as  places  of  sepulture.  An  instance 
occurs  in  Dryburgh  Abbey,  where  the  cloister  has  an  inscription  bearing  Hie 

Jacet /rater  Archibaldus. 


0  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  ii. 

And  red  and  l)right  the  streamers  light 
Were  dancing  in  the  glowing  north. 
So  had  he  seen,  in  fair  Castile, 

The  youth  in  glittering  squadrons  start ;  ^ 
Sudden  the  flying  jennet  wheel. 
And  hurl  the  unexpected  dart. 
He  knew,  by  the  streamers  that  shot  so  bright. 
That  spirits  were  riding  the  northern  light. 


IX. 

By  a  steel-clenched  postern  door, 

They  enter'd  now  the  chancel  tall  ; 
The  darken'd  roof  rose  high  aloof 

On  pillars  lofty  and  light  and  small  : 
The  key-stone,  that  lock'd  each  ribbed  aisle, 
Was  a  fleur-de-lys,  or  a  quatre-feuille  ; 
The  corbells  -  were  carved  grotesque  and  grim  : 
And  the  pillars,  with  cluster'd  shafts  so  trim. 
With  base  and  with  capital  flourish'd  around,^ 
Seem'd  bundles  of  lances  which  garlands  had  bound. 


X. 

Full  many  a  scutcheon  and  banner  riven, 
Shook  to  the  cold  night-wind  of  heaven. 

Around  the  screened  altar's  pale  ; 
And  there  the  dying  lamps  did  burn. 
Before  thy  low  and  lonely  urn. 


1  See  Appendix,  Note  M. 

-   Corbells,  the  projections  from  which  the  arches  spring,  usually  cut  in  a 
fantastic  face,  or  mask. 

2  ["  With///«M  and  with  capital  flourish'd  around."  —  First  Ediiion.\ 


CANTO  II.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  57 

O  gallant  Chief  of  Otterburne  !  ^ 

And  thine,  dark  Knight  of  Liddesdale  !  ~ 
O  fading  honors  of  the  dead  ! 
O  high  ambition,  lowly  laid  ! 

XI. 

The  moon  on  the  east  oriel  shone  ^ 
Through  slender  shafts  of  shapely  stone, 

By  foliaged  tracery  combined  ; 
Thou  would'st  have  thought  some  fairy's  hand 

1  The  famous  and  desperate  battle  of  Otterburne  was  fought  15th  August, 
1388,  betwixt  Henry  Percy,  called  Hotspur,  and  James,  Earl  of  Douglas.  Both 
these  renowned  champions  were  at  the  head  of  a  chosen  body  of  troops,  and 
they  were  rivals  in  military  fame  ;  so  that  Froissart  affirms,  "Of  all  the  battayles 
and  encounteryngs  that  I  have  made  mencion  of  here  before  in  all  this  hystory, 
great  or  smalle,  this  battayle  that  I  treat  of  nowe  was  one  of  the  sorest  and  best 
foughten,  without  cowardes  or  faynte  hertes :  for  there  was  neyther  knyghte 
nor  squyer  but  that  dyde  his  devoyre,  and  foughte  hande  to  hande.  This 
batayle  was  lyke  the  batayle  of  Becherell,  the  which  was  valiauntly  fought  and 
endured."  The  issue  of  the  conflict  is  well  known :  Percy  was  made  prisoner, 
and  the  Scots  won  the  day,  dearly  purchased  by  the  death  of  their  gallant  gen- 
eral, the  Earl  of  Douglas,  who  was  slain  in  the  action.  He  was  buried  at  Mel- 
rose, beneath  the  high  altar.  "  His  obsequye  was  done  reverently,  and  on  his 
bodye  layde  a  tombe  of  stone,  and  his  baner  hangyng  over  him."  —  FROIS- 
SART, vol.  ii.  p.  165. 

■^  See  Appendi.x;,  Note  N. 

3  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  a  more  beautiful  specimen  of  the  lightness  and 
elegance  of  Gothic  architecture,  when  in  its  purity,  than  the  eastern  window  of 
Melrose  Abbey.  Sir  James  Hall  of  Dunglas,  Bart.,  has,  with  great  ingenuity 
and  plausibility,  traced  the  Gothic  order  through  its  various  forms  and  seem- 
ingly eccentric  ornaments,  to  an  architectural  imitation  of  wicker  work ;  of 
which,  as  we  learn  from  some  of  the  legends,  the  earliest  Christian  churches 
were  constructed.  In  such  an  edifice,  the  original  of  the  clustered  pillars  is 
traced  to  a  set  of  round  posts,  begirt  with  slender  rods  of  willow,  whose  loose 
summits  were  brought  to  meet  from  all  quarters,  and  bound  together  artificially, 
so  as  to  produce  the  frame-work  of  the  roof:  and  the  tracery  of  our  Gothic 
windows  is  displayed  in  the  meeting  and  interlacing  of  rods  and  hoops,  afford- 
ing an  inexhaustible  variety  of  beautiful  forms  of  open  work.  This  ingenious 
system  is  alluded  to  in  the  romance.  Sir  James  Hall's  Essay  on  Gothic  Archi- 
tecture is  published  in  The  Edinburgh  Philosophical  Transactions. 


5 8  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  ii. 

'Twixt  poplars  straight  the  ozier  wand, 

In  many  a  freakish  knot,  had  twined  ; 
Then  framed  a  spell,  when  the  work  was  done, 
And  changed  the  willow-wreaths  to  stone. 
The  silver  light,  so  pale  and  faint, 
Shew'd  many  a  prophet,  and  many  a  saint, 

Whose  image  on  the  glass  was  dyed ; 
Full  in  the  midst,  his  Cross  of  Red 
Triumphant  Michael  brandished. 

And  trampled  the  Apostate's  pride. 
The  moon-beam  kiss'd  the  holy  pane. 
And  threw  on  the  pavement  a  bloody  stain. 

XII. 

They  sate  them  down  on  a  marble  stone, ^ 

(A  Scottish  monarch  slept  below;) 
Thus  spoke  the  Monk  in  solemn  tone  :  — 

"  I  was  not  always  a  man  of  woe  ; 
For  Paynim  countries  I  have  trod. 
And  fought  beneath  the  Cross  of  God  : 
Now,  strange  to  my  eyes  thine  arms  appear. 
And  their  iron  clang  sounds  strange  to  my  ear. 

XIII. 
"  In  these  far  climes  it  was  my  lot 
To  meet  the  wondrous  Michael  Scott ;  ^ 

A  wizard  of  such  dreaded  fame. 
That  when,  in  Salamanca's  cave,  "^ 
Him  listed  his  magic  wand  to  wave. 

The  bells  would  ring  in  Notre-Dame  !  ^ 

1  A  large  marble  stone,  in  the  chancel  of  Melrose,  is  pointed  out  as  the  mon- 
ument of  Alexander  II.,  one  of  the  greatest  of  our  early  kings;  others  say,  it 
is  the  resting-place  of  Waldeve,  one  of  the  early  abbots,  who  died  in  the  odor 
of  sanctity. 

2  See  Appendi.^,  Note  O.  3  ibid.  Note  P.  ■»  Ibid.  Note  Q. 


CANTO  11.]  '      THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  39 

Some  of  his  skill  he  taught  to  me  ; 

And,  Warrior,  I  could  say  to  thee 

The  words  that  cleft  Eildon  hills  in  three, 

And  bridled  the  Tweed  with  a  curb  of  stone  :  ' 
But  to  speak  them  were  a  deadly  sin  ; 
And  for  having  but  thought  them  my  heart  within, 

A  treble  penance  must  be  done. 

XIV. 

"  When  Michael  lay  on  his  dying  bed, 

His  conscience  was  awakened  : 

He  bethought  him  of  his  sinful  deed. 

And  he  gave  me  a  sign  to  come  with  speed : 

I  was  in  Spain  when  the  morning  rose, 

But  I  stood  by  his  bed  ere  evening  close. 

The  words  may  not  again  be  said, 

That  he  spoke  to  me,  on  deathbed  laid ; 

They  would  rend  this  Abbey's  massy  nave, 

And  pile  it  in  heaps  above  his  grave. 

XV. 

"  I    swore  to  bury  his  Mighty  Book, 
That  never  mortal  might  therein  look ; 
And  never  to  tell  where  it  was  hid. 
Save  at  his  Chief  of  Branksome's  need  : 
And  when  that  need  was  past  and  o'er, 

1  Michael  Scott  was,  once  upon  a  time,  much  embarrassed  by  a  spirit,  for 
whom  he  was  under  the  necessity  of  finding  constant  employment.  He  com- 
manded him  to  build  a  cauld,  or  dam-head,  across  the  Tweed  at  Kelso;  it  was 
accomplished  in  one  night,  and  still  does  honor  to  the  infernal  architect. 
Michael  next  ordered  that  Eildon  hill,  which  was  then  a  uniform  cone,  should 
be  divided  into  three.  Another  night  was  sufficient  to  part  its  summit  into  the 
three  picturesque  peaks  which  it  now  bears.  At  length  the  enchanter  con- 
quered this  indefatigable  demon,  by  employing  him  in  the  hopeless  and  end- 
less task  of  making  ropes  out  of  sea-sand. 


6o  I^HE  LAY  OF  [canto  ii. 

Again  the  volume  to  restore. 

I  buried  him  on  St.  Michael's  night, 

When  the  bell  toU'd  one,  and  the  moon  was  bright, 

And  I  dug  his  chamber  among  the  dead. 

When  the  floor  of  the  chancel  was  stained  red, 

That  his  patron's  cross  might  over  him  wave. 

And  scare  the  fiends  from  the  Wizard's  grave. 

XVI. 

"  It  was  a  night  of  woe  and  dread. 

When  Michael  in  the  tomb  I  laid  ! 

Strange  sounds  along  the  chancel  pass'd, 

The  banners  waved  without  a  blast  "  — 

—  Still  spoke  the  Monk,  when  the  bell  toU'd  one  !  — 

I  tell  you,  that  a  braver  man 

Than  William  of  Deloraine,  good  at  need, 

Against  a  foe  ne'er  spurr'd  a  steed  ; 

Yet  somewhat  was  he  chill'd  with  dread, 

And  his  hair  did  bristle  upon  his  head. 

XVII. 

"  Lo,  Warrior  !  now,  the  Cross  of  Red 

Points  to  the  grave  of  the  mighty  dead  ; 

Within  it  burns  a  wondrous  light, 

To  chase  the  spirits  that  love  the  night : 

That  lamp  shall  burn  imquenchably, 

Until  the  eternal  doom  shall  be."  — ' 

Slow  moved  the  monk  to  the  broad  flag-stone, 

Which  the  bloody  Cross  was  traced  upon : 

He  pointed  to  a  secret  nook ; 

An  iron  bar  the  Warrior  took  ;  ^ 

1  See  Appendix,  Note  R. 

2  \Orig.  —  A  bar  from  thence  the  warrior  took.] 


CANTO  II.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  6 1 

And  the  Monk  made  a  sign  with  his  wither'd  hand, 
The  grave's  huge  portal  to  expand. 

XVIII. 

With  beating  heart  to  the  task  he  went  ; 

His  sinewy  frame  o'er  the  grave-stone  bent ; 

With  bar  of  iron  heaved  amain, 

Till  the  toil-drops  fell  from  his  brows,  like  rain. 

It  was  by  dint  of  passing  strength, 

That  he  moved  the  massy  stone  at  length. 

I  would  you  had  been  there,  to  see 

How  the  light  broke  forth  so  gloriously, 

Stream'd  upward  to  the  chancel  roof, 

And  through  the  galleries  far  aloof ! 

No  earthly  flame  blazed  e'er  so  bright : 

It  shone  like  heaven's  own  blessed  light, 

And,  issuing  from  the  tomb, 
Show'd  the  ]\Ionk's  cowl,  and  visage  pale, 
Danced  on  the  dark-brow'd  Warrior's  mail, 

And  kiss'd  his  waving  plume. 

XIX. 

Before  their  eyes  the  Wizard  lay. 
As  if  he  had  not  been  dead  a  day. 
His  hoary  beard  in  silver  roU'd, 
He  seem'd  some  seventy  winters  old  ; 

A  palmer's  amice  wrapp'd  him  round, 

With  a  wrought  Spanish  baldric  bound, 
Like  a  pilgrim  from  beyond  the  sea : 

His  left  hand  held  his  Book  of  Might ; 

A  silver  cross  was  in  his  right ; 

The  lamp  was  placed  beside  his  knee  : 
High  and  majestic  was  his  look, 


62  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  ii. 

At  which  the  fellest  fiends  had  shook, 

And  all  unruffled  was  his  face  : 

They  trusted  his  soul  had  gotten  grace. ^ 

XX. 

Often  had  William  of  Deloraine 

Rode  through  the  battle's  bloody  plain, 

And  trampled  down  the  warriors  slain, 

And  neither  known  remorse  nor  awe  ; 

Yet  now  remorse  and  awe  he  own'd ; 

His  breath  came  thick,  his  head  swam  round, 

When  this  strange  scene  of  death  he  saw. 

Bewilder'd  and  unnerved  he  stood, 

And  the  priest  pray'd  fervently  and  loud  : 

W^ith  eyes  averted  prayed  he; 

He  might  not  endure  the  sight  to  see. 

Of  the  man  he  had  loved  so  brotherly. 

XXI. 

And  when  the  priest  his  death-prayer  had  pray'd. 

Thus  unto  Deloraine  he  said  :  — 

"  Now,  speed  thee  what  thou  hast  to  do. 

Or,  Warrior,  we  may  dearly  rue ; 

For  those,  thou  may'st  not  look  upon. 

Are  gathering  fast  round  the  yawning  stone  !  "  — 

Then  Deloraine,  in  terror,  took 

From  the  cold  hand  the  Mighty  Book, 

With  iron  clasp'd,  and  with  iron  bound  : 

1  [The  agitation  of  the  monk  at  the  sight  of  the  man,  whom  he  had  loved 
with  brotherly  affection,  the  horror  of  Deloraine,  and  his  belief  that  the  corpse 
frowned,  as  he  withdrew  the  magic  volume  from  its  grasp,  are,  in  a  succeeding 
part  of  the  narrative,  circumstances  not  more  happily  conceived  than  exqui- 
sitely wrought."  —  Critical  Revieiu^ 


CANTO  II.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  ^^^ 

He  thought,  as  he  took  it,  the  dead  man  frown'd  ;  i 
But  the  glare  of  the  sepulchral  light, 
Perchance,  had  dazzled  the  warrior's  sight. 

XXII. 

When  the  huge  stone  sunk  o'er  the  tomb, 

The  night  return'd  in  double  gloom ; 

For  the  moon  had  gone  down,  and  the  stars  were  few ; 

And,  as  the  Knight  and  Priest  withdrew. 

With  wavering  steps  and  dizzy  brain. 

They  hardly  might  the  postern  gain. 

'Tis  said,  as  through  the  aisles  they  pass'd. 

They  heard  strange  noises  on  the  blast ; 

And  through  the  cloister-galleries  small. 

Which  at  mid-height  thread  the  chancel  wall. 

Loud  sobs,  and  laughter  louder,  ran, 

And  voices  unlike  the  voice  of  man  ; 

As  if  the  fiends  kept  holiday. 

Because  these  spells  were  brought  to  day. 

I  cannot  tell  how  the  truth  may  be ; 

I  say  the  tale  as  'twas  said  to  me. 

XXIIT. 

"  Now,  hie  thee  hence,"  the  Father  said, 

"  And  when  we  are  on  death-bed  laid, 

O  may  our  dear  Ladye,  and  sweet  St.  John, 

1  William  of  Deloraine  might  be  strengthened  in  this  belief  by  the  well- 
known  story  of  the  Cid  Ruy  Diaz.  When  the  body  of  that  famous  Christian 
champion  was  sitting  in  state  by  the  high  altar  of  the  cathedral  church  of 
Toledo,  where  it  remained  for  ten  years,  a  certain  malicious  Jew  attempted  to 
pull  him  by  the  beard ;  but  he  had  no  sooner  touched  the  formidable  whiskers, 
than  the  corpse  started  up,  and  half  unsheathed  his  sword.  The  Israelite  fled  ; 
and  so  permanent  was  the  effect  of  his  terror,  that  he  became  Christian. — 
Hey  wood's  Hierarchic,  p.  480,  quoted  from  Sebastian  Cobarruvias  Crozee, 


64  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  n. 

Forgive  our  souls  for  the  deed  we  have  done  !  "  — 
The  Monk  return'd  him  to  his  cell, 

And  many  a  prayer  and  penance  sped  ; 
When  the  convent  met  at  the  noontide  bell  — 
The  Monk  of  St.  Mary's  aisle  was  dead  ! 
Before  the  cross  was  the  body  laid, 
With  hands  clasp'd  fast,  as  if  still  he  pray'd, 

XXIV. 

The  Knight  breathed  free  in  the  morning  wind, 

And  strove  his  hardihood  to  find  : 

He  was  glad  when  he  pass'd  the  tombstones  gray. 

Which  girdle  round  the  fair  Abbaye  ; 

For  the  mystic  Book,  to  his  bosom  prest, 

Felt  like  a  load  upon  his  breast ; 

And  his  joints,  with  nerves  of  iron  twined. 

Shook,  like  the  aspen  leaves  in  wind. 

Full  fain  was  he  when  the  dawn  of  day 

Began  to  brighten  Cheviot  gray  ; 

■He  joy'd  to  see  the  cheerful  light. 

And  he  said  Ave  Mary,  as  well  as  he  might. 

XXV. 

The  sun  had  brighten'd  Cheviot  gray. 

The  sun  had  brighten'd  the  Carter's  ^  side  ; 

And  soon  beneath  the  rising  day 

Smiled  Branksome  Towers  and  Teviot's  tide.- 

The  wild  birds  told  their  warbling  tale. 
And  waken'd  every  flower  that  blows  ; 

And  peeped  forth  the  violet  pale, 

1  A  mountain  on  the  border  of  England,  above  Jedburgh. 

2  ["  How  lovely  and  exhilarating  is  the  fresh  cool  morning  landscape  which 
relieves  the  mind  after  the  horrors  of  the  spell-guarded  tomb!"  —  ANNA 
Sewaru.] 


jJiii'iiiMf 


aWf  ,l#»i> 


■  The  Knight  and  the  Lathe  fair  are  met. 
And  umler  the  hawthorn's  boughs  are  set." 

Canto  ii.  28. 


CANTO  II.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  65 

And  spread  her  breast  the  mountain  rose. 
And  lovelier  than  the  rose  so  red, 

Yet  paler  than  the  violet  pale, 
She  early  left  her  sleepless  bed, 

The  fairest  maid  of  Teviotdale. 

XXVI. 

Why  does  fair  Margaret  so  early  a\vake,i 

And  don  her  kirtle  so  hastilie  ; 
And  the  silken  knots,  which  in  hurry  she  would  make, 

Why  tremble  her  slender  fingers  to  tie  ; 
Why  does  she  stop,  and  look  often  around. 

As  she  glides  down  the  secret  stair ; 
And  why  does  she  pat  the  shaggy  blood-hound. 

As  he  rouses  him  up  from  his  lair ; 
And,  though  she  passes  the  postern  alone, 
Why  is  not  the  watchman's  bugle  blown  ? 

XXVII. 
The  ladye  steps  in  doubt  and  dread. 
Lest  her  watchful  mother  hear  her  tread  ; 
The  ladye  caresses  the  rough  blood  hound. 
Lest  his  voice  should  waken  the  castle  round ; 
The  watchman's  bugle  is  not  blown, 
For  he  was  her  foster-father's  son  ; 

x^nd  she  glides  through  the  greenwood  at  dawn  of  light, 
To  meet  Baron  Henry,  her  own  true  knight. 

XXVIII. 

The  Knight  and  the  ladye  fair  are  met. 
And  under  the  hawthorn's  boughs  are  set. 
A  fairer  pair  were  never  seen 

1  ["  How  true,  sweet,  and  original,  is  this  description  of  Margaret,  —  the 
trembling  haste  with  which  she  attires  herself,  descends,  and  speeds  to  the 
bower!  " — Anna  Seward.] 


e^  THE  LAV  OF  [canto  ii. 

To  meet  beneatli  the  hawthorn  green. 

He  was  stately,  and  young,  and  tall ; 

Dreaded  in  battle,  and  loved  in  hall  : 

And  she,  when  love,  scarce  told,  scarce  hid, 

Lent  to  her  cheek  a  livelier  red  ; 

When  the  half  sigh  her  swelling  breast 

Against  the  silken  ribbon  prest ; 

When  her  blue  eyes  their  secret  told, 

Though  shaded  by  her  locks  of  gold  — 

Where  would  you  find  the  peerless  fair, 

^^'ith  Margaret  of  Branksome  might  compare  ! 

XXIX. 

And  now,  fair  dames,  methinks  I  see 

You  listen  to  my  minstrelsy  ; 

Your  waving  locks  ye  backward  throw, 

And  sidelong  bend  your  necks  of  snow : 

Ye  ween  to  hear  a  melting  tale, 

Of  two  true  lovers  in  a  dale  ; 

And  how  the  Knight,  with  tender  fire, 
To  paint  his  faithful  passion  strove  ; 

Swore  he  might  at  her  feet  expire. 
But  never,  never  cease  to  love  ; 
And  how  she  blush'd,  and  how  she  sigh'd, 
And,  half  consenting,  half  denied, 
And  said  that  she  would  (iie  a  maid ;  — 
Yet,  might  the  bloodv  feud  be  stay'd, 
Henry  of  Cranstoun,  and  only  he, 
Margaret  of  Branksome's  choice  should  be. 

XXX. 

Alas  !  fair  dames,  your  hopes  are  vain  ! 
My  harp  has  lost  the  enchanting  strain  ; 
Its  lightness  would  my  age  reprove  : 


CANTO  11.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  67 

My  hairs  are  gray,  my  limbs  are  old, 
My  heart  is  dead,  my  veins  are  cold : 
I  may  not,  must  not,  sing  of  love. 

xxxr. 

Beneath  an  oak,  moss'd  o'er  by  eld, 
The  Baron's  Dwarf  his  courser  held,i 

And  held  his  crested  helm  and  spear. 
That  Dwarf  was  scarce  an  earthly  man. 
If  the  tales  were  true  that  of  him  ran 

Through  all  the  Border,  far  and  near. 
'Twas  said,  when  the  Baron  a-hunting  rode 
Through  Reedsdale's  glens,  but  rarely  trod, 

He  heard  a  voice  cry,  "  Lost  !  lost  !  lost  !  " 

And,  like  tennis-ball  by  racket  toss'd, 
A  leap,  of  thirty  feet  and  three. 

Made  from  the  gorse  this  elfin  shape. 

Distorted  like  some  dwarfish  ape. 

And  lighted  at  Lord  Cranstoun's  knee. 

Lord  Cranstoun  was  some  whit  dismay'd ; 

'Tis  said  that  five  good  miles  he  rade, 
To  rid  him  of  his  company  ; 
But  where  he  rode  one  mile,  the  Dwarf  ran  four, 
And  the  Dwarf  was  first  at  the  castle  door. 

XXXIL 

Use  lessens  marvel,  it  is  said  : 

This  elvish  Dwarf  with  the  Baron  staid  ; 

Little  he  ate,  and  less  he  spoke, 

Nor  mingled  with  the  menial  flock  : 

And  oft  apart  liis  arms  he  toss'd. 

And  often  mutter'd,  ''  Lost  !  lost  !  lost !  " 

1  See  Appendix,  Note  S. 


58  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  ii. 


He  was  waspish,  arch  and  litherlie,! 

But  well  Lord  Cranstoun  served  he  : 
And  he  of  his  service  was  full  fain  ; 
For  once  he  had  been  ta'en  or  slain, 

An  it  had  not  been  for  his  ministry. 
All  between  Home  and  Hermitage, 
Talk'd  of  Lord  Cranstoun's  Goblin-Page. 

XXXHI. 

For  the  Baron  went  on  pilgrimage, 
And  took  with  him  this  elvish  Page, 

To  Mary's  Chapel  of  the  Lowes  : 
For  there,  beside  Our  Ladye's  lake. 
An  offering  he  had  sworn  to  make. 

And  he  would  pay  his  vows. 
But  the  Ladye  of  Branksome  gather'd  a  band 
Of  the  best  that  would  ride  at  her  command  :  ^ 

1  [The  idea  of  the  imp  domesticating  himself  with  the  first  person  he  met, 
and  subjecting  himself  to  that  one's  authority,  is  perfectly  consonant  to  old 
opinions.  Ben  Jonson,  in  his  play  of  "  The  Devil  is  an  Ass,"  has  founded  the 
leading  incident  of  that  comedy  upon  this  article  of  the  popular  creed.  A  fiend, 
styled  Pug,  is  ambitious  of  figuring  in  the  world,  and  petitions  his  superior  for 
permission  to  exhibit  himself  upon  earth.  The  devil  grants  him  a  day-rule, 
but  clogs  it  with  this  condition  :  — 

"  Saian.  —  Only  thus  more,  I  bind  you 

To  serve  the  first  man  that  you  meet;   and  him 
I'll  show  you  now;  observe  him,  follow  him; 
But,  once  engaged,  there  you  must  stay  and  fix." 

It  is  observable  that  in  the  same  play,  Pug  alludes  to  the  spareness  of  his 
diet.  Mr.  Scott's  goblin,  though  "waspish,  arch  and  litherlie,"  proves  a  faith- 
ful and  honest  retainer  to  the  lord,  into  whose  service  he  had  introduced  him- 
self. This  sort  of  inconsistency  seems  also  to  form  a  prominent  part  of  the 
diabolic  character.  Thus,  in  the  romances  of  the  Round  Table,  we  find  Merlin, 
the  son  of  a  devil,  exerting  himself  most  zealously  in  the  cause  of  virtue  and  of 
religion,  the  friend  and  counsellor  of  King  Arthur,  the  chastiser  of  wrongs,  and 
the  scourge  of  the  infidels.] 

2  See  Appendix,  Note  T. 


CANTO  II.]  THE  LAST  MhVSTREL.  69 

The  trysting  place  was  Newark  Lee. 
Wat  of  Harden  came  thither  amain, 
And  thither  came  John  of  Thirlestane, 
And  thither  came  William  of  Deloraine  ; 

They  were  three  hundred  spears  and  three. 
Through  Douglas-burn,  up  Yarrow  stream, ^ 
Their  horses  prance,  their  lances  gleam. 
They  came  to  St.  Mary's  lake  ere  day ; 
But  the  chapel  was  void,  and  the  Baron  away. 
They  burn'd  the  chapel  for  very  rage. 
And  cursed  Lord  Cranstoun's  Goblin- Page. 

XXXIV. 

And  now,  in  Branksome's  good  green  wood, 
As  under  the  aged  oak  he  stood, 
The  Baron's  courser  pricks  his  ears, 
As  if  a  distant  noise  he  hears. 
The  Dwarf  waves  his  long  lean  arm  on  high, 
And  signs  to  the  lovers  to  part  and  fly ; 
No  time  was  then  to  vow  or  sigh. 
Fair  Margaret,  through  the  hazel  grove, 
Flew  like  the  startled  cushat-dove  :  ^ 
The  Dwarf  the  stirrup  held  and  rein ; 
Vaulted  the  knight  on  his  steed  amain. 
And,  pondering  deep  that  morning's  scene. 
Rode  eastward  through  the  hawthorns  green. 


While  thus  he  pour'd  the  lengthen'd  tale, 
The  Minstrel's  voice  began  to  fail : 
Full  slyly  smiled  the  observant  page, 

1  See  notes  on  the  Douglas  Tragedy  in  the  Minstrelsy,  vol.  iii.  p.  3.  —  Ed. 

2  Wood-pigeon. 


■JO       THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.      [canto  ii.] 

And  gave  the  wither'd  hand  of  age 
A  goblet  crown'd  with  mighty  wine, 
The  blood  of  Velez'  scorched  vine. 
He  raised  the  silver  cup  on  high, 
And,  while  the  big  drop  fiU'd  his  eye, 
Pray'd  God  to  bless  the  Duchess  long, 
And  all  who  cheer'd  a  son  of  song. 
The  attending  maidens  smiled  to  see 
How  long,  how  deep,  how  zealously, 
The  precious  juice  the  Minstrel  quaff  d  ; 
And  he,  embolden'd  by  the  draught, 
Look'd  gaily  back  to  them,  and  laugh 'd. 
The  cordial  nectar  of  the  bowl 
Swell'd  his  old  veins,  and  cheer'd  his  soul ; 
A  lighter,  livelier  prelude  ran, 
Ere  thus  his  tale  again  began. 


Canto   2^1ttrjft- 


I. 

And  said  I  that  my  limbs  were  old, 
And  said  I  that  my  blood  was  cold, 
And  that  my  kindly  fire  was  fled. 
And  my  poor  wither'd  heart  was  dead, 

And  that  I  might  not  sing  of  love  ?  — 
How  could  I  to  the  dearest  theme, 
That  ever  warm'd  a  minstrel's  dream. 

So  foul,  so  false  a  recreant  prove  ! 
How  could  I  name  love's  very  name. 
Nor  wake  my  heart  to  notes  of  flame  ! 

H. 

In  peace,  Love  tunes  the  shepherd's  reed  ; 

In  war,  he  mounts  the  warrior's  steed  ; 

In  halls,  in  gay  attire  is  seen  ; 

In  hamlets,  dances  on  the  green. 

Love  rules  the  court,  the  camp,  the  grove, 

And  men  below,  and  saints  above ; 

For  love  is  heaven,  and  heaven  is  love. 

III. 

So  thought  Lord  Cranstoun,  as  I  ween. 

While,  pondering  deep  the  tender  scene. 

He  rode  through  Branksome's  hawthorn  green. 


^2 


THE  LAY  OF  [canto  hi. 


But  tlie  page  shouted  wild  and  shrill, 
And  scarce  his  helmet  could  he  don, 

When  downward  from  the  shady  hill 
A  stately  knight  came  pricking  on. 
That  warrior's  steed,  so  dapple-gray, 
Was  dark  with  sweat,  and  splash'd  with  clay ; 

His  armor  red  with  many  a  stain  : 
He  seem'd  in  such  a  weary  plight. 
As  if  he  had  ridden  the  live-long  night  \ 

For  it  was  William  of  Deloraine. 

IV. 

But  no  whit  weary  did  he  seem, 

When,  dancing  in  the  sunny  beam. 

He  mark'd  the  crane  on  the  Baron's  crest ;  ^ 

For  his  ready  spear  was  in  his  rest. 

Few  were  the  words,  and  stern  and  high, 
That  mark'd  the  foemen's  feudal  hate ; 

For  question  fierce,  and  proud  reply, 
Gave  signal  soon  of  dire  debate. 
Their  very  coursers  seem'd  to  know 
That  each  was  other's  mortal  foe. 
And  snorted  fire,  when  wheel'd  around, 
To  give  each  knight  his  vantage-ground. 

V. 

In  rapid  round  the  Baron  bent ; 

He  sigh'd  a  sigh,  and  pray'd  a  prayer ; 
The  prayer  was  to  his  patron  saint. 

The  sigh  was  to  his  ladye  fair. 

1  The  crest  of  the  Granstouns,  in  allusion  to  their  name,  is  a  crane  dormant, 
holding  a  stone  in  his  foot,  with  an  emphatic  Border  motto,  Thou  shalt  want 
ere  I  want. 


"  He  bade  the  page  to  stanch  the  wound, 
And  there  beside  the  warrior  stay." 

Canto  iii.  7. 


CANTO  III.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  73 

Stout  Deloraine  nor  sigh'd  nor  pray'd, 

Nor  saint,  nor  ladye,  call'd  to  aid  ; 

But  he  stoop'd  his  head,  and  couch'd  his  spear, 

And  spurr'd  his  steed  to  full  career. 

The  meeting  of  these  champions  proud 

Seem'd  like  the  bursting  thunder-cloud. 

VI. 

Stern  was  the  dint  the  Borderer  lent ! 

The  stately  Baron  backwards  bent ; 

Bent  backwards  to  his  horse's  tail, 

And  his  plumes  went  scattering  on  the  gale ; 

The  tough  ash  spear,  so  stout  and  true. 

Into  a  thousand  flinders  flew. 

But  Cranstoun's  lance,  of  more  avail, 

Pierced  through,  like  silk,  the  Borderer's  mail ; 

Through  shield,  and  jack,  and  acton,  past. 

Deep  in  his  bosom  broke  at  last.  — 

Still  sate  the  warrior  saddle-fast. 

Till,  stumbling  in  the  mortal  shock, 

Down  went  the  steed,  the  girthing  broke, 

Hurl'd  on  a  heap  lay  man  and  horse. 

The  Baron  onward  pass'd  his  course ; 

Nor  knew  —  so  giddy  roll'd  his  brain  — 

His  foe  lay  stretch'd  upon  the  plain. 

VII. 

But  when  he  rein'd  his  courser  round, 
And  saw  his  foeman  on  the  ground 

Lie  senseless  as  the  bloody  clay, 
He  bade  his  page  to  stanch  the  wound, 

And  there  beside  the  warrior  stay. 
And  tend  him  in  his  doubtful  state, 


74  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  hi. 

And  lead  him  to  Branksome  castle-gate  : 
His  noble  mind  was  inly  moved 
For  the  kinsman  of  the  maid  he  loved. 
"  This  shalt  thou  do  without  delay  : 
No  longer  here  myself  may  stay  ; 
Unless  the  swifter  I  speed  away, 
Short  shrift  will  be  at  my  dying  day." 

VIII. 

Away  in  speed  Lord  Cranstoun  rode ; 

The  Goblin  Page  behind  abode  ; 

His  lord's  command  he  ne'er  withstood, 

Though  small  his  pleasure  to  do  good. 

As  the  corslet  off  he  took, 

The  dwarf  espied  the  mighty  Book  ! 

Much  he  marvell'd  a  knight  of  pride, 

Like  a  book-bosom 'd  priest  should  ride  :  ^ 

He  thought  not  to  search  or  stanch  the  wound, 

Until  the  secret  he  had  found. 

IX. 

The  iron  band,  the  iron  clasp. 
Resisted  long  the  elfin  grasp  : 
For  when  the  first  he  had  undone. 
It  closed  as  he  the  next  begun. 
Those  iron  clasps,  that  iron  band, 
Would  not  yield  to  unchristen'd  hand, 

1  "  At  Unthank,  two  miles  N.E.  from  the  church  (of  Ewes)  there  are  the 
ruins  of  a  chapel  for  divine  service,  in  time  of  Popery.  There  is  a  tradition 
that  friars  were  wont  to  come  from  Melrose,  or  Jedburgh,  to  baptize  and  marry, 
in  this  parish ;  and  from  being  in  use  to  carry  the  mass-book  in  their  bosoms, 
they  were  called,  by  the  inhabitants,  Book-a-bosomes.  There  is  a  man  yet  alive, 
who  knew  old  men  who  had  been  baptized  by  these  Book-a-bosomes,  and  who 
says  one  of  them,  called  Hair,  used  this  parish  for  a  very  long  time."  —  Account 
of  Parish  of  Ewes,  apud  Afac/ar  lane's  MSS. 


CANTO  III.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  jr 

Till  he  smear'd  the  cover  o'er 

With  the  Borderer's  curdled  gore  ; 

A  moment  then  tlie  volume  spread, 

And  one  short  spell  therein  he  read, 

It  had  much  of  glamor  ^  -might, 

Could  make  a  ladye  seem  a  knight ; 

The  cobwebs  on  a  dungeon  wall 

Seem  tapestry  in  lordly  hall ; 

A  nut-shell  seem  a  gilded  barge, 

A  sheeling  ^  seem  a  j^alace  large. 

And  youth  seem  age,  and  age  seem  youth  — 

All  was  delusion,  nought  was  truth.^ 


X. 

He  had  not  read  another  spell. 

When  on  his  cheek  a  buffet  fell. 

So  fierce,  it  stretch'd  him  on  the  plain, 

Beside  the  wounded  Deloraine. 

From  the  ground  he  rose  dismay'd, 

And  shook  his  huge  and  matted  head ; 

One  word  he  mutter'd,  and  no  more. 

"  Man  of  age,  thou  smitest  sore  !  "  — 

No  more  the  Elfin  Page  durst  try 

Into  the  wondrous  Book  to  pry ; 

The  clasps,  though  smear'd  with  Christian  gore, 

Shut  faster  than  they  were  before. 

He  hid  it  underneath  his  cloak.  — 

Now,  if  you  ask  who  gave  the  stroke, 

I  cannot  tell,  so  mot  I  thrive  ; 

It  was  not  given  by  man  alive. ^ 

1  Magical  delusion.  2  A  shepherd's  hut. 

3  See  Appendix,  Note  U.  *  Ibid.  Note  V. 


^6  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  hi. 


XI. 


Unwillingly  himself  he  address'd, 

To  do  his  master's  high  behest : 

He  lifted  up  the  living  corse, 

And  laid  it  on  the  weary  horse  ; 

He  led  him  into  Branksome  Hall, 

Before  the  beards  of  the  warders  all ; 

And  each  did  after  swear  and  say. 

There  only  pass'd  a  wain  of  hay. 

He  took  him  to  Lord  David's  tower. 

Even  to  the  Ladye's  secret  bower ; 

And,  but  that  stronger  spells  were  spread, 

And  the  door  might  not  be  opened, 

He  had  laid  him  on  her  very  bed. 

Whate'er  he  did  of  gramarye,^ 

Was  always  done  maliciously  ; 

He  flung  the  warrior  on  the  ground. 

And  the  blood  well'd  freshly  from  the  wound. 

xn. 

As  he  repass'd  the  outer  court. 

He  spied  the  fair  young  child  at  sport : 

He  thought  to  train  him  to  the  wood  ; 

For,  at  a  word,  be  it  understood, 

He  was  always  for  ill,  and  never  for  good. 

Seem'd  to  the  boy,  some  comrade  gay 

Led  him  forth  to  the  woods  to  play  ; 

On  the  drawbridge  the  warders  stout 

Saw  a  terrier  and  lurcher  passing  out. 

1  Ma?ic. 


CANTO  III.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  yy 

XIII. 

He  led  the  boy  o'er  bank  and  fell, 

Until  they  came  to  a  woodland  brook ; 

The  running  stream  dissolved  the  spell,i 
And  his  own  elfish  shape  he  took. 

Could  he  have  had  his  pleasure  vilde, 

He  had  crippled  the  joints  of  the  noble  child  ; 

Or,  with  his  fingers  long  and  lean, 

Had  strangled  him  in  fiendish  spleen  : 

But  his  awful  mother  he  had  in  dread. 

And  also  his  power  was  limited  ; 

So  he  but  scowl'd  on  the  startled  child. 

And  darted  through  the  forest  wild ; 

The  woodland  brook  he  bounding  cross 'd. 

And  laugh'd,  and  shouted,  "  Lost !  lost !  lost !  " 

XIV. 

Full  sore  amazed  at  the  wondrous  change, 

And  frighten'd  as  a  child  might  be, 
At  the  wild  yell  and  visage  strange. 

And  the  dark  words  of  gramarye, 
The  child,  amidst  the  forest  bower, 
Stood  rooted  like  a  lily  flower  j 

1  It  is  a  firm  article  of  popular  faith,  that  no  enchantment  can  subsist  in  a 
living  stream.  Nay,  if  you  can  interpose  a  brook  betwixt  you  and  witches, 
spectres,  or  even  fiends,  you  are  in  perfect  safety.  Burns'  inimitable  Ta?n  o' 
Shanter  turns  entirely  upon  such  a  circumstance.  The  belief  seems  to  be  of 
antiquity.  Brompton  informs  us  that  certain  Irish  wizards  could,  by  spells, 
convert  earthen  clods,  or  stones,  into  fat  pigs,  which  they  sold  in  the  market ; 
but  which  always  reassumed  their  proper  form,  when  driven  by  the  deceived 
purchaser  across  a  running  stream.  But  Brompton  is  severe  on  the  Irish  for  a 
very  good  reason,  "  Gens  ista  spurcissima  non  solvunt  decimas." —  Ckronicon 
Johaunis  Brompton,  apud  decent  Scriptores,  p.  1076, 


78  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  hi. 

And  when  at  length,  with  trembling  pace, 

He  sought  to  find  where  Branksome  lay, 
He  fear'd  to  see  that  grisly  face 

Glare  from  some  thicket  on  his  way. 

Thus,  starting  oft,  he  journey'd  on, 

And  deeper  in  the  wood  is  gone,  — 

For  aye  the  more  he  sought  his  way, 

The  farther  still  he  went  astray,  — 

Until  he  heard  the  mountains  round 

Ring  to  the  baying  of  a  hound. 

XV. 

And  hark  !  and  hark  !  the  deep-mouth'd  bark 

Comes  nigher  still,  and  nigher  : 
Bursts  on  the  path  a  dark  blood-hound, 
His  tawny  muzzle  track'd  the  ground. 

And  his  red  eye  shot  fire. 
Soon  as  the  wilder'd  child  saw  he, 
He  flew  at  him  right  furiouslie. 
I  ween  you  would  have  seen  witli  joy 
The  bearing  of  the  gallant  boy, 
When,  worthy  of  his  noble  sire, 
His  wet  cheek  glow'd  'twixt  fear  and  ire  ! 
He  faced  the  blood-hound  manfully, 
And  held  his  little  bat  on  high ; 
So  fierce  he  struck,  the  dog,  afraid, 
At  cautious  distance  hoarsely  bay'd. 

But  still  in  act  to  spring  ; 
When  dash'd  an  archer  through  the  glade, 
And  when  he  saw  the  hound  was  stay'd. 

He  drew  his  tough  bow-string  ; 
But  a  rough  voice  cried,  "  Shoot  not,  hoy  ! 
Ho  !  shoot  not,  Edward  —  'Tis  a  boy  !  " 


CANTO  III.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  y^ 

XVI. 

The  speaker  issued  from  the  wood, 
And  check'd  his  fellow's  surly  mood. 

And  quell'd  the  ban-dog's  ire  : 
He  was  an  English  yeoman  good, 

And  born  in  Lancashire. 
Well  could  he  hit  a  fallow-deer 

Five  hundred  feet  him  fro  ; 
With  hand  more  true,  and  eye  more  clear, 

No  archer  bended  bow. 
His  coal-black  hair,  shorn  round  and  close, 

Set  off  his  sun-burn'd  face  : 
Old  England's  sign,  St.  George's  cross, 

His  barret-cap  did  grace  ; 
His  bugle-horn  hung  by  his  side, 

All  in  a  wolf-skin  baldric  tied  : 
And  his  short  falchion,  sharp  and  clear, 
Had  pierced  the  throat  of  many  a  deer. 

xvn. 

His  kirtle,  made  of  forest  green, 

Reach'd  scantly  to  his  knee  ; 
And,  at  his  belt,  of  arrows  keen 

A  furbish 'd  sheaf  bore  he  ; 
His  buckler  scarce  in  breadth  a  span 

No  larger  fence  had  he  ; 
He  never  counted  him  a  man, 

Would  strike  below  the  knee  :  ^ 

1  Imitated  from  Drayton's  account  of  Robin  Hood  and  his  followers  :  — 

"  A  hundred  valiant  men  had  this  brave  Robin  Hood, 
Still  ready  at  his  call,  that  bowmen  were  right  good : 
All  clad  in  Lincoln  green,  with  caps  of  red  and  blue, 
His  fellow's  winded  horn  not  one  of  them  but  knew. 


8o  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  hi. 

His  slacken'd  bow  was  in  his  hand, 

And  the  leash,  that  was  his  blood-hound's  band. 

XVIII. 

He  would  not  do  the  fair  child  harm, 
But  held  him  with  his  powerful  arm, 
That  he  might  neither  fight  nor  flee ; 
For  when  the  Red-Cross  spied  he. 
The  boy  strove  long  and  violently. 

When  setting  to  their  lips  their  bugles  shrill, 

The  warbling  echoes  waked  from  every  dale  and  hill; 

Their  bauldrics  set  with  studs  athwart  their  shoulders  cast, 

To  which  under  their  arms  their  sheafs  were  buckled  fast, 

A  short  sword  at  their  belt,  a  buckler  scarce  a  span, 

Who  struck  below  the  knee  not  counted  then  a  man. 

All  made  of  Spanish  yew,  their  bows  were  wondrous  strong, 

They  not  an  arrow  drew  but  was  a  clothyard  long. 

Of  archery  they  had  the  very  perfect  craft, 

With  broad  arrow,  or  but,  or  prick,  or  roving  shaft." 

Poly-Albion,  Song  26. 

To  wound  an  antagonist  in  the  thigh,  or  leg,  was  reckoned  contrary  to  the 
law  of  arms.  In  a  tilt  betwixt  Gawain  Alichael,  an  English  squire,  and  Joachim 
Cathore,  a  PYenchman,  "  they  met  at  the  speare  poyntes  rudely :  the  French 
squyer  justed  right  pleasantly ;  the  Englishman  ran  too  lowe,  for  he  strak  the 
Frenchman  depe  into  the  thigh.  Wherewith  the  Erie  of  Buckingham  was  right 
sore  displeased,  and  so  were  all  the  other  lords,  and  sayde  how  it  was  shame- 
fully done." —  Froissart,  vol  i.,  chap.  366.  Upon  a  similar  occasion,  "  the 
two  knyghts  came  a  fote  eche  against  other  rudely,  with  their  speares  low 
couched,  to  stryke  eche  other  within  the  foure  quarters.  Johan  of  Castell- 
Morant  strake  the  English  squyer  on  the  brest  in  such  wyse,  that  Syr  Wyllyam 
Fermetone  stombled  and  bowed,  for  his  fote  a  lyttel  fayled  him.  He  helde  his 
speare  lowe  with  both  his  handes,  and  coude  nat  amende  it,  and  strake  Syr 
Johan  of  the  Castell-Morant  in  the  thighe,  so  that  the  speare  went  clene 
throughe,  that  the  heed  was  sene  a  handful!  on  the  other  syde.  And  Syr  Johan 
with  the  stroke  reled,  but  he  fell  nat.  Than  the  Englyshe  knyghtes  and  squyers 
were  ryghte  sore  displeased,  and  sayde  how  it  was  a  foule  stroke.  Syr  Wyl- 
lyam Fermetone  excused  himselfe,  and  sayde  how  he  was  sorie  of  that  adven- 
ture, and  howe  that  yf  he  had  knowen  that  it  shulde  have  bene  so,  he  wolde 
never  have  begon  it ;  sayenge  how  he  could  nat  amend  it,  by  cause  of  glaunsing 
of  his  fote  by  constraynt  of  the  great  stroke  that  Syr  Johan  of  the  Castell- 
Morant  had  given  him."  —  Froissart,  vol.  i.,  chap.  373. 


■  He  would  not  do  the  fair  child  harm 
But  held  him  with  his  powei-ful  arm." 

Canto  iii.  18. 


CANTO  III.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 

"  Now,  by  St.  George,"  the  archer  cries, 
"  Edward,  methinks  we  have  a  prize  ! 
This  boy's  fair  face,  and  courage  free. 
Show  he  is  come  of  high  degree."  — 

XIX. 

"Yes  !  I  am  come  of  high  degree. 

For  I  am  the  heir  of  bold  Buccleuch  ; 
And,  if  thou  dost  not  set  me  free. 

False  Southron,  thou  shalt  dearly  rue  ! 
For  Walter  of  Harden  shall  come  with  speed, 
And  William  of  Deloraine,  good  at  need, 
And  every  Scott,  from  Esk  to  Tweed  ; 
And,  if  thou  dost  not  let  me  go. 
Despite  thy  arrows,  and  thy  bow, 
I'll  have  thee  hang'd  to  feed  the  crow  !  "  — 

XX. 

"  Gramercy,  for  thy  good-will,  fair  boy  ! 
My  mind  was  never  set  so  high; 
But  if  thou  art  chief  of  such  a  clan. 
And  art  the  son  of  such  a  man. 
And  ever  comest  to  thy  command. 

Our  wardens  had  need  to  keep  good  order ; 
My  bow  of  yew  to  a  hazel  wand, 

Thou'lt  make  them  work  upon  the  Border. 
Meantime,  be  pleased  to  come  with  me, 
For  good  Lord  Dacre  shalt  thou  see  ; 
I  think  our  work  is  well  begun. 
When  we  have  taken  thy  father's  son." 

XXI. 

Although  the  child  was  led  away. 
In  Branksome  still  he  seem'd  to  stay, 


82  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  hi. 

For  so  the  Dwarf  his  part  did  play  ; 
And,  in  the  shape  of  that  young  boy, 
He  wrought  the  castle  much  annoy. 
The  comrades  of  the  young  Buccleuch 
He  pinch'd,  and  beat,  and  overthrew  ; 
Nay,  some  of  them  he  wellnigh  slew. 
He  tore  Dame  Maudlin's  silken  tire, 
And,  as  Sym  Hall  stood  by  the  fire, 
He  lighted  the  match  of  his  bandelier,! 
And  wofully  scorch'd  the  hackbuteer.^ 
It  may  be  hardly  thought  or  said, 
The  mischief  that  the  urchin  made. 
Till  many  of  the  castle  guess'd. 
That  the  young  Baron  was  possess'd  ! 

xxn. 

Well  I  ween  the  charm  he  held 
The  noble  Ladye  had  soon  dispell'd  ; 
But  she  was  deeply  busied  then 
To  tend  the  wounded  Deloraine. 

Much  she  wonder'd  to  find  him  lie. 

On  the  stone  threshold  stretch'd  along ; 

She  thought  some  spirit  of  the  sky 

Had  done  the  bold  moss-trooper  wrong ; 
Because,  despite  her  precept  dread. 
Perchance  he  in  the  Book  had  read ; 
But  the  broken  lance  in  his  bosom  stood, 
And  it  was  earthly  steel  and  wood. 

1   Bandelier,  belt  for  carrying  ammunition. 
-  Hackbutecr,  musketeer. 


CANTO  iji.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  83 


XXIII. 

She  drew  the  sphnter  from  the  wound, 

And  with  a  charm  she  stanch 'd  the  blood ;  ^ 
She  bade  the  gash  be  cleansed  and  bound  : 

No  longer  by  his  couch  she  stood  ; 
But  she  has  ta'en  the  broken  lance, 

And  washed  it  from  the  clotted  gore, 

And  salved  the  splinter  o'er  and  o'er.- 
William  of  Deloraine,  in  trance, 

Whene'er  she  turn'd  it  round  and  round. 

Twisted  as  if  she  gall'd  his  wound. 
Then  to  her  maidens  she  did  say, 

That  he  should  be  whole  man  and  sound. 
Within  the  course  of  a  night  and  day. 
Full  long  she  toil'd  ;  for  she  did  rue 
Mishap  to  friend  so  stout  and  true. 

XXIV.3 

So  pass'd  the  day  —  the  evening  fell, 
'Twas  near  the  time  of  curfew  bell ; 
The  air  was  mild,  the  wind  was  calm, 

1  See  several  charms  for  this  purpose  in  Reginald  Scott's  Discovery  of 
Witchcraft,  p.  273. 

"  Tom  Potts  was  but  a  serving  man, 
But  yet  he  was  a  doctor  good; 
He  bound  his  handkerchief  on  the  wound, 
And  with  some  kinds  of  words  he  stanched  the  blood." 

Pieces  of  Anciettt  Popular  Poetry,  Lond.,  1791,  p-  131- 

2  See  Appendix,  Note  W. 

3  ["  As  another  illustration  of  the  prodigious  improvement  which  the  style  of 
the  old  romance  is  capable  of  receiving  from  a  more  liberal  admixture  of  pa- 
thetic sentiments  and  gentle  affections,  we  insert  the  following  passage,  Statjzas 
xxiv.  to  xxvii.,  where  the  effect  of  the  picture  is  finely  assisted  by  the  contrast  of 
its  two  compartments." — JEFFREY.] 


84  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  hi. 

The  stream  was  smooth,  the  dew  was  bahn ; 
E'en  the  rude  watcliman,  on  the  tower, 
Enjoy'd  and  bless'd  the  lovely  hour. 
Far  more  fair  Margaret  loved  and  bless'd 
The  hour  of  silence  and  of  rest. 
On  the  high  turret  sitting  lone, 
She  waked  at  times  the  lute's  soft  tone ; 
Touch'd  a  wild  note,  and  all  between 
Thought  of  the  bower  of  hawthorns  green. 
Her  golden  hair  stream'd  free  from  band, 
Her  fair  cheek  rested  on  her  hand, 
Her  blue  eyes  sought  the  west  afar, 
For  lovers  love  the  western  star. 

XXV. 

Is  yon  the  star,  o'er  Penchryst  Pen, 

That  rises  slowly  to  her  ken, 

And,  spreading  broad  its  wavering  light. 

Shakes  its  loose  tresses  on  the  night? 

Is  yon  red  glare  the  western  star  ?  — 

O,  'tis  the  beacon-blaze  of  war  ! 

Scarce  could  she  draw  her  tightened  breath, 

For  well  she  knew  the  fire  of  death  ! 

XXVI. 

The  Warder  view'd  it  blazing  strong. 
And  blew  his  war-note  loud  and  long, 
Till,  at  the  high  and  haughty  sound, 
Rock,  wood,  and  river,  rung  around. 
The  blast  alarm'd  the  festal  hall, 
And  startled  forth  the  warriors  all ; 
Far  downward,  in  the  castle-yard, 
Full  many  a  torch  and  cresset  glared  ; 
And  helms  and  plumes,  confusedly  toss'd, 


"  Ou  the  high  turret  sitting  lone 
She  waked  at  times  the  lute's  soft  tone." 

Canto  iii.  24. 


CANTO  III.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  3c 

Were  in  the  blaze  half-seen,  half-lost  j 
And  spears  in  wild  disorder  shook, 
Like  reeds  beside  a  frozen  brook. 


XXVII. 

The  Seneschal,  whose  silver  hair 
Was  redden'd  by  the  torches'  glare, 
Stood  in  the  midst,  with  gesture  proud. 
And  issued  forth  his  mandates  loud  :  — 
"On  Penchryst  glows  a  bale  ^  of  fire. 
And  three  are  kindling  on  Priesthaughswire ; 

Ride  out,  ride  out. 

The  foe  to  scout  ! 
IMount,  mount  for  Branksome,^  every  man  ! 
Thou,  Todrig,  warn  the  Johnstone  clan. 

That  ever  are  true  and  stout  — 
Ye  need  not  send  to  Liddesdale  ; 
For  when  they  see  the  blazing  bale, 
Elliotts  and  Armstrongs  never  fail.  — 
Ride,  Alton,  ride,  for  death  and  life  ! 

1  Bale,  beacon-fagot.  The  border  beacons,  from  their  number  and  position, 
formed  a  sort  of  telegraphic  communication  with  Edinburgh.  The  act  of  Par- 
liament, 1455,  c.  48,  directs,  that  one  bale  or  fagot  shall  be  warning  of  the  ap- 
proach of  the  English  in  any  manner ;  two  bales  that  they  are  coming  indeed; 
four  bales,  blazing  beside  each  other,  that  the  enemy  are  in  great  force.  "  The 
same  taikenings  to  be  watched  and  maid  at  Eggerhope  (Eggerstand)  Castell, 
fra  they  se  the  fire  of  Hume,  that  they  fire  right  swa.  And  in  like  manner  on 
Sowtra  Edge,  sail  se  the  fire  of  Eggerhope  Castell,  and  mak  taikening  in  like 
manner :  And  then  may  all  Louthaine  be  warned,  and  in  special  the  Castell  of 
Edinburgh ;  and  their  four  fires  to  be  made  in  like  manner,  that  they  in  Fife, 
and  fra  Striveling  east,  and  the  east  part  of  Louthiane,  and  to  Dunbar,  all  may 
se  them,  and  come  to  the  defence  of  the  realme."  These  beacons  (at  least  in 
latter  times)  were  a  "  long  and  strong  tree  set  up,  with  a  long  iron  pole  across 
the  head  of  it,  and  an  iron  brander  fixed  on  a  stalk  in  the  middle  of  it,  for  hold- 
ing a  tar-barrel."  —  Stevenson's  History,  vol.  ii.,  p.  701. 

2  Mount  for  Branksomc  was  the  gathering  word  of  the  Scotts. 


85  THE  LAY  OE  [CANTO  in. 

And  warn  the  warder  of  the  strife. 
Young  Gilbert,  let  our  beacon  blaze, 
Our  kin,  and  clan,  and  friends,  to  raise."  * 


XXVIII. 

Fair  Margaret,  from  the  turret  head, 
Heard,  far  below,  the  coursers'  tread, 

While  loud  the  harness  rung, 
As  to  their  seats,  with  clamor  dread, 

The  ready  horsemen  sprung  : 
And  trampling  hoofs,  and  iron  coats, 
And  leaders'  voices,  mingled  notes, 
And  out !  and  out ! 
In  hasty  route. 

The  horsemen  gallop'd  forth  ; 
Dispersing  to  the  south  to  scout, 

And  east,  and  west,  and  north, 
To  view  their  coming  enemies. 
And  warn  their  vassals  and  allies. 

XXIX. 

The  ready  page,  with  hurried  hand,^ 
Awaked  the  need-fire's-^  slumbering  brand, 

And  ruddy  blush'd  the  heaven  : 
For  a  sheet  of  flame,  from  the  turret  high. 
Waved  like  a  blood-flag  on  the  sky. 

All  flaring  and  uneven  ; 
And  soon  a  score  of  fires,  I  ween. 


1  See  Appendix,  Note  X. 

2  "  We  absolutely  see  the  fires  kindling,  one  after  another,  in  the  following 
animated  description."  —  Annual  Review,  1804.] 

**  Need-fire,  beacon. 


CANTO  III.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  87 

From  height,  and  hill,  and  cliff,  were  seen  ; 
Each  with  warlike  tidings  fraught ; 
Each  from  each  the  signal  caught ; 
Each  after  each  they  glanced  to  sight, 
As  stars  arise  upon  the  night. 
They  gleam'd  on  many  a  dusky  tarn,' 
Haunted  by  the  lonely  earn  ;~ 
On  many  a  cairn's  ^  gray  pyramid, 
Where  urns  of  mighty  chiefs  lie  hid  ; 

•  Till  high  Dunedin  the  blazes  saw, 
From  Soltra  and  Dumpender  Law  ; 
And  Lothian  heard  the  Regent's  order. 
That  all  should  bowne  ■*  them  for  the  Border. 

XXX. 

The  livelong  night  in  Branksome  rang 

The  ceaseless  sound  of  steel ; 
The  castle-bell,  with  backward  clang, 

Sent  forth  the  larum  peal ; 
Was  frequent  heard  the  heavy  jar. 
Where  massy  stone  and  iron  bar 

1    Tarn,  a  mountain  lake,  ^  Ear7i,  a  Scottish  eagle. 

3  The  cairns,  or  piles  of  loose  stones,  which  crown  the  summit  of  most  of  our 
Scottish  hills,  and  are  found  in  other  remarkable  situations,  seem  usually, 
though  not  universally,  to  have  been  sepulchral  monuments.  Six  flat  stones 
are  commonly  found  in  the  centre,  forming  a  cavity  of  greater  or  smaller  dimen- 
sions, in  which  an  urn  is  often  placed.  The  author  is  possessed  of  one  discov- 
ered beneath  an  immense  cairn  at  Roughlee,  in  Liddesdale.  It  is  of  the 
most  barbarous  construction  ;  the  middle  of  the  substance  alone  having  been 
subjected  to  the  fire,  over  which,  when  hardened,  the  artist  had  laid  an  inner 
and  outer  coat  of  unbaked  clay,  etched  with  some  very  rude  ornaments ;  his 
skill  apparently  being  inadequate  to  baking  the  vase,  when  completely  finished. 
The  contents  were  bones  and  ashes,  and  a  quantity  of  beads  made  of  coal. 
This  seems  to  have  been  a  barbarous  imitation  of  the  Roman  fashion  of  sepul- 
ture. 

*  Bowne,  make  ready. 


38  THE  LA  Y  OF  [caxto  hi. 

Were  piled  on  echoing  keep  and  tower, 
To  whelm  the  foe  with  deadly  shower ; 
Was  frequent  heard  the  changing  guard, 
And  watch-word  from  the  sleepless  ward  ; 
While,  wearied  by  the  endless  din, 
Blood-hound  and  ban-dog  yell'd  within. 

XXXI. 

The  noble  Dame,  amid  the  broil, 
Shared  the  gray  Seneschal's  high  toil, 
And  spoke  of  danger  with  a  smile  ; 

Cheer'd  the  young  knights,  and  council  sage 
Held  with  the  chiefs  of  riper  age. 
No  tidings  of  the  foe  were  brought, 
Nor  of  his  numbers  knew  they  aught, 
Nor  what  in  time  of  truce  he  sought. 

Some  said,  that  there  were  thousands  ten  ; 
And  others  ween'd  that  it  was  nought 

But  Leven  Clans,  or  Tynedale  men, 
A\'ho  came  to  gather  in  black-mail  j  ^ 
And  Liddesdale,  with  small  avail. 

Might  drive  them  lightly  back  agen. 
So  pass'd  the  anxious  night  away. 
And  welcome  was  the  peep  of  day. 


Ceased  the  high  sound  —  the  listening  throng 
Applaud  the  Master  of  the  Song  ; 
And  marvel  much,  in  helpless  age, 
So  hard  should  be  his  pilgrimage. 
Had  he  no  friend  — -  no  daughter  dear. 
His  wandering  toil  to  share  and  cheer ; 

1  Protection-money  exacted  by  freebooters. 


CANTO  III.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  89 

No  son  to  be  his  father's  stay, 

And  guide  him  on  the  rugged  way  ? 

"  Ay,  once  he  had  —  but  he  was  dead  !  "  — 

Upon  the  harp  he  stoop'd  his  head, 

And  busied  himself  the  strings  withal. 

To  hide  the  tear  that  fain  would  fall. 

In  solemn  measure,  soft  and  slow. 

Arose  a  father's  notes  of  woe.^ 

1  ["  Nothing  can  excel  the  simple,  concise  pathos  of  the  close  of  this  Canto, 
nor  the  touching  picture  of  the  Bard  when,  with  assumed  business,  he  tries  to 
conceal  real  sorrow.  How  well  the  poet  understands  the  art  of  contrast,  and 
how  judiciously  it  is  exerted  in  the  exordium  of  the  next  Canto,  where  our 
mourning  sympathy  is  exchanged  for  the  thrill  of  pleasure!"  —  Anna  Sew- 
ard.] 


©attt0  ^onvUx, 


Sweet  Teviot !  on  thy  silver  tide 

The  glaring  bale-fires  blaze  no  more  ; 
No  longer  steel-clad  warriors  ride 

Along  thy  wild  and  willow'd  shore  ;  ^ 
Where'er  thou  wind'st,  by  dale  or  hill, 
All,  all  is  peaceful,  all  is  still, 

As  if  thy  waves,  since  Time  was  born. 
Since  first  they  roU'd  upon  the  Tweed, "^ 
Had  only  heard  the  shepherd's  reed, 

Nor  started  at  the  bugle-horn. 

II. 

Unlike  the  tide  of  human  time, 

Which,  though  it  change  in  ceaseless  flow, 
Retains  each  grief,  retains  each  crime. 

Its  earliest  course  was  doom'd  to  know ; 
And,  darker  as  it  downward  bears, 
Is  stain'd  with  past  and  present  tears. 

Low  as  that  tide  has  ebb'd  with  me, 
It  still  reflects  to  Memory's  eye 
The  hour  my  brave,  my  only  boy. 

Fell  by  the  side  of  great  Dundee. ^ 

1  ["What  luxury  of  sound  in  this  line!  " — ANNA  SEWARD.] 

2  [Ori^.  "  Since  first  they  rolled  f/ieir  zvay  to  Tweed."] 

3  The  Viscount  of  Dundee,  slain  in  the  battle  of  Killicrankie. 


[CANTO  IV.]       THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.        gi 

Why,  when  the  volleying  musket  play'd 
Against  the  bloody  Highland  blade, 
Why  was  not  I  beside  him  laid  !  — 
Enough  —  he  died  the  death  of  fame  ; 
Enough  —  he  died  with  conquering  Gr?eme.^ 


III. 

Now  over  Border  dale  and  fell, 

Full  wide  and  far  was  terror  spread ; 
For  pathless  marsh,  and  mountain  cell, 

The  peasant  left  his  lowly  shed.^ 

1  ["  Some  of  the  most  interesting  passages  of  the  poem  are  those  in  which 
the  author  drops  the  business  of  his  story  to  moralize,  and  apply  to  his  own  sit- 
uation the  images  and  reflections  it  has  suggested.  After  concluding  one  Canto 
with  an  account  of  the  warlike  array  which  was  prepared  for  the  reception  of 
the  English  invaders,  he  opens  the  succeeding  one  with  the  following  beautiful 
verses  (stanzas  i.  and  ii.). 

"  There  are  several  other  detached  passages  of  equal  beauty,  which  might  be 
quoted  in  proof  of  the  effect  which  is  produced  by  this  dramatic  interference  of 
the  narrator."  —  JEFFREY.]* 

*  [No  one  will  dissent  from  this,  who  reads,  in  particular,  the  first  two  and  heart- 
glowing  stanzas  of  Canto  VI.  —  noiv,  by  association  of  the  past,  rendered  the  more  affect- 
ing.—  Ed.] 

2  The  morasses  were  the  usual  refuge  of  the  Border  herdsmen,  on  the  ap- 
proach of  an  English  army.  —  {Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border,  vol.  i.,  p.  393.) 
Caves,  hewed  in  the  most  dangerous  and  inaccessible  places,  also  afforded  an 
occasional  retreat.  Such  caverns  may  be  seen  in  the  precipitous  banks  of  the 
Teviot  at  Sunlaws,  upon  the  Ale  at  Ancram,  upon  the  Jed  at  Hundalee,  and  in 
many  other  places  upon  the  Border.  The  banks  of  the  Eske,  at  Gorton  and 
Hawthornden,  are  hollowed  into  similar  recesses.  But  even  these  dreary  dens 
were  not  always  secure  places  of  concealment.  "  In  the  way  as  we  came,  not 
far  from  this  place  (Long  Niddry),  George  Ferres,  a  gentleman  of  my  Lord 
Protector's  .  .  .  happened  upon  a  cave  in  the  grounde,  the  mouth  whereof  was 
so  worne  with  the  fresh  printe  of  steps,  that  he  seemed  to  be  certayne  thear  wear 
some  folke  within  ;  and  gone  doune  to  trie,  he  was  redily  receyved  with  a  hake- 
but  or  two.  He  left  them  not  yet,  till  he  had  known  wheyther  thei  wold  be  con- 
tent to  yield  and  come  out;  which  they  fondly  refusing,  he  went  to  my  lorde's 
grace,  and  upon  utterance  of  the  thynge,  gat  licence  to  deale  with  them  as  he 
coulde;  and  so  returned  to  them,  with  a  score  or  two  of  pioners.    Three  ventes 


92  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  iv. 

The  frighten'd  flocks  and  herds  were  pent 
Beneath  the  peel's  rude  battlement ; 
And  maids  and  matrons  dropp'd  the  tear, 
While  ready  warriors  seized  the  spear. 
From  Branksome's  towers,  the  watchman's  eye 
Dun  wreaths  of  distant  smoke  can  spy. 
Which,  curling  in  the  rising  sun, 
Show'd  southern  ravage  was  begun.' 

IV. 

Now  loud  the  heedful  gate-ward  cried  — 

"  Prepare  ye  all  for  blows  and  blood  ! 
Watt  Tinlinn,-  from  the  Liddel-side, 

had  their  cave,  that  we  wear  ware  of,  whereof  he  first  stopt  up  on  ;  anoother  he 
fill'd  full  of  strawe,  and  set  it  a  fyer,  whereat  they  within  cast  water  apace  ;  but 
it  was  so  wel  maynteyned  without,  that  the  fyer  prevayled,  and  thei  within  fayn 
to  get  them  belyke  into  anoother  parler.  Then  devysed  we  (for  I  hapt  to  be 
with  him)  to  stop  the  same  up,  whereby  we  should  eyther  smoother  them,  or 
fynd  out  their  ventes,  if  thei  hadde  any  moe :  as  this  was  done  at  another  issue, 
about  xii  score  of,  we  moughte  see  the  fume  of  their  smoke  to  come  out :  the 
which  continued  with  so  great  a  force  and  so  long  a  while,  that  we  could  not 
but  thinke  they  must  needs  get  them  out,  or  smoother  within  :  and  forasmuch 
as  we  found  not  that  they  dyd  the  tone,  we  thought  it  for  certain  thei  wear  sure 
of  the  toother."  —  Patten's  Account  of  Somerset's  Expeditio7i  into  Scotland, 
apud  Dalyell'S  Fragments. 

1  See  Appendix,  Note  Y. 

2  This  person  was,  in  my  younger  days,  the  theme  of  many  a  fireside  tale. 
He  was  a  retainer  of  the  Buccleuch  family,  and  held  for  his  Border  service  a 
small  tower  on  the  frontiers  of  Liddesdale.  Watt  was,  by  profession,  a  sittor, 
but,  by  inclination  and  practice,  an  archer  and  warrior.  Upon  one  occasion, 
the  captain  of  Bowcastle,  military  governor  of  that  wild  district  of  Cumberland, 
is  said  to  have  made  an  incursion  into  Scotland,  in  which  he  was  defeated,  and 
forced  to  fly.  Watt  Tinlinn  pursued  him  closely  through  a  dangerous  morass; 
the  captain,  however,  gained  the  firm  ground;  and  seeing  Tinlinn  dismounted, 
and  floundering  in  the  bog,  used  these  words  of  insult :  — "  Sutor  Watt,  ye  can- 
not sew  your  boots  ;  the  heels  risp,  and  the  seems  rive."  *  —  "  If  I  cannot  sew," 
retorted  Tinlinn,  discharging  a  shaft,  which  nailed  the  captain's  thigh  to  his 
saddle,  —  "  If  I  cannot  sew,  I  ca.n yerk."\ 

*  Ris/>,  creak.  —  Rive,  tear. 

t   Yerk,  to  twitch,  as  shoemakers  do,  in  securing  the  siitches  of  their  work. 


CANTO  IV.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


93 


Comes  wading  through  the  flood. ^ 
Full  oft  the  Tynedale  snatchers  knock 

At  his  lone  gate,  and  prove  the  lock ; 
It  was  but  last  St.  Barnabright 
They  sieged  him  a  whole  summer  night, 
But  fled  at  morning ;  well  they  knew, 
In  vain  he  never  twang'd  the  yew. 
Right  sharp  has  been  the  evening  shower, 
That  drove  him  from  his  Liddel  tower ; 
And,  by  my  faith,"  the  gate-ward  said, 
"  I  think  'twill  prove  a  Warden-Raid."  ^ 


While  thus  he  spoke,  the  bold  yeoman  ^ 
Enter'd  the  echoing  barbican. 


1  ["  And  when  they  cam  to  Branksome  ha. 

They  shouted  a'  baith  loud  and  hie, 

Till  up  and  spak  him  auld  Buccleuch, 

Said —  '  Whae's  this  brings  the  fraye  to  me? '  — 
'  It's  I,  Jamie  Telfer,  o'  the  fair  Dodhead, 
And  a  harried  man  I  think  I  be,'  "  &c. 

—  Border  ^rinstrehy,  vol.  ii.  p.  8. 7 

2  An  inroad  commanded  by  the  Warden  in  person. 

3  ["  The  dawn  displays  the  smoke  of  ravaged  fields,  and  shepherds,  with 
their  flocks,  flying  before  the  storm.  Tidings  brought  by  a  tenant  of  the  family, 
not  used  to  seek  a  shelter  on  light  occasions  of  alarm,  disclose  the  strength  and 
object  of  the  invaders.  This  man  is  a  character  of  a  lower  and  of  a  rougher 
cast  than  Deloraine.  The  portrait  of  the  rude  retainer  is  sketched  with  the 
same  masterly  hand.  Here,  again,  Mr.  Scott  has  trod  in  the  footsteps  of  the 
old  romancers,  who  confine  not  themselves  to  the  display  of  a  few  personages 
who  stalk  over  the  stage  on  stately  stilts,  but  usually  reflect  all  the  varieties  of 
character  that  marked  the  era  to  which  they  belong.  The  interesting  example 
of  manners  thus  preserved  to  us,  is  not  the  only  advantage  which  results  from 
this  peculiar  structure  of  their  plan.  It  is  this,  amongst  other  circumstances, 
which  enables  them  to  carry  us  along  with  them,  under  I  know  not  what  species 
of  fascination,  and  to  make  us,  as  it  were,  credulous  spectators  of  their  most 
extravagant  scenes.     In  this  they  seem  to  resemble  the  painter,  who,  in  the  de- 


94 


THE  LAY  OF  [canto  iv. 


He  led  a  small  and  shaggy  nag, 

That  through  a  bog,  from  hag  to  hag,' 

Could  bound  like  any  Billhope  stag.- 

It  bore  his  wife  and  children  twain  ; 

A  half-clothed  serf  ^  was  all  their  train  : 

His  wife,  stout,  ruddy,  and  dark-brow'd, 

Of  silver  brooch  and  bracelet  proud,'' 

Laugh'd  to  her  friends  among  the  crowd. 

He  was  of  stature  passing  tall. 

But  sparely  form'd  and  lean  withall  \ 

A  batter'd  morion  on  his  brow  ; 

A  leather  jack,  as  fence  enow. 

On  his  broad  shoulders  loosely  hung  ; 

A  Border  axe  behind  was  slung ; 

His  spear,  six  Scottish  ells  in  length, 
Seem'd  newly  dyed  with  gore  ; 

His  shafts  and  bow,  of  wondrous  strength, 
His  hardy  partner  bore. 


lineation  of  a  battle,  while  he  places  the  adverse  heroes  of  the  day  combating 
in  the  front,  takes  care  to  fill  his  background  with  subordinate  figures,  whose 
appearance  adds  at  once  both  spirit  and  an  air  of  probability  to  the  scene."  — 
Critical  Review,  1805.] 

1  The  broken  ground  in  a  bog. 

"  There  is  an  old  rhyme,  which  thus  celebrates  the  places  in  Liddesdale  re- 
markable for  game :  — 

"  liillhope  braes  for  bucks  and  raes, 
And  Carit  haugh  for  swine. 
And  Tairas  for  the  good  biiU-tront, 
If  he  be  ta'en  in  time." 

The  bucks  and  roes,  as  well  as  the  old  swine,  are  now  extinct ;  but  the  good 
bull-trout  is  still  famous. 

3  Bondsman. 

^  As  the  Borderers  were  indifferent  about  the  furniture  of  their  habitations, 
so  much  exposed  to  be  burned  and  plundered,  they  were  proportionally  anxious 
to  display  splendor  in  decorating  and  ornamenting  their  females.  —  See  LESLEY 
de  Moribus  Limitaneorum. 


CANTO  IV.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  95 

VI. 

Thus  to  the  Ladye  did  Tinlinn  show 

The  tidings  of  the  Enghsh  foe  :  — 

"  Belted  Will  Howard  ^  is  marching  here, 

And  hot  Lord  Dacre,^  with  many  a  spear, 

And  all  the  German  hackbut-nien,^ 

Who  have  long  lain  at  Askerten  : 

They  cross'd  the  Liddel  at  curfew  hour, 

And  burn'd  my  little  lonely  tower  : 

The  fiend  receive  their  souls  therefor  ! 

It  had  not  been  burnt  this  year  and  more. 

Barn-yard  and  dwelling,  blazing  bright, 

Served  to  guide  me  on  my  flight ; 

But  I  was  chased  the  live  long  night. 

Black  John  of  Akeshaw,  and  Fergus  Graeme, 

Fast  upon  m\-  traces  came, 

Until  I  turn'd  at  Priesthaugh  Scrogg, 

And  shot  their  horses  in  the  bog, 

Slew  Fergus  with  my  lance  outright  — 

I  had  him  long  at  high  despite  : 

He  drove  my  cows  last  Fastern's  night." 

vn. 

Now  weary  scouts  from  Liddesdale, 
Fast  hurrying  in,  confirm'd  the  tale  ; 
As  far  as  they  could  judge  by  ken, 

Three  hours  would  bring  to  Teviot's  strand 
Three  thousand  armed  Englishmen  — 
Meanwhile,  full  many  a  warlike  band, 
From  Teviot,  Aill,  and  Ettrick  shade, 
Came  in,  their  Chiefs  defence  to  aid. 

1  See  Appendix,  Note  Z.  -  See  Appendix,  Note  A  2. 

"  Musketeers.     See  Appendix,  Note  B  2. 


g6  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  iv. 

There  was  saddling  and  mounting  in  haste, 
There  was  pricking  o'er  moor  and  lea ; 

He  that  was  last  at  the  trysting-place 
Was  but  lightly  held  of  his  gay  ladye.^ 

VIII. 

From  fair  St.  Mary's  silver  wave, 

From  dreary  Gamescleugh's  dusky  height, 
His  ready  lances  Thirlestane  brave 

Array'd  beneath  a  banner  bright. 
The  treasured  fleur-de-luce  he  claims 
To  wreathe  his  shield,  since  royal  James, 
Encamp'd  by  Fala's  mossy  wave, 
The  proud  distinction  grateful  gave, 

For  faith  'mid  feudal  jars  ; 
What  time,  save  Thirlestane  alone, 
Of  Scotland's  stubborn  barons  none 

Would  march  to  southern  wars  ; 
And  hence,  in  fair  remembrance  worn. 
Yon  sheaf  of  spears  his  crest  has  borne ; 
Hence  his  high  motto  shines  reveal'd  — 
"  Ready,  aye  ready,"  for  the  field.^ 

IX. 

An  aged  Knight,  to  danger  steel'd, 
With  many  a  moss-trooper,  came  on ; 

And  azure  in  a  golden  field, 

The  stars  and  crescent  graced  his  shield, 
Without  the  bend  of  Murdieston.^ 

Wide  lay  his  lands  round  Oakwood  tower, 

1  [The  four  last  lines  of  stanza  vii.  are  not  in  the  first  edition. —  Ed.] 

2  See  Appendix,  Note  C  2. 

3  See  Appendix,  Note  D  2. 


CANTO  IV.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  97 

And  wide  round  haunted  Castle-Owerj 
High  over  Borthwick's  mountain  flood, 
His  wood-embosom'd  mansion  stood  ; 
In  the  dark  glen,  so  deep  below, 
The  herds  of  plunder'd  England  low  ; 
His  bold  retainers'  daily  food, 
And  bought  with  danger,  blows,  and  blood. 
Marauding  chief !  his  sole  delight 
The  moonlight  raid,  the  morning  fight ; 
Not  even  the  Flower  of  Yarrow's  charms, 
In  youth,  might  tame  his  rage  for  arms ; 
And  still,  in  age,  he  spurn'd  at  rest, 
And  still  his  brows  the  helmet  press'd, 
Albeit  the  blanched  locks  below 
Were  white  as  Dinlay's  spotless  snow  ; 

Five  stately  warriors  drew  the  sword 
Before  their  father's  band  ; 

A  braver  knight  than  Harden's  lord 
Ne'er  belted  on  a  brand. ^ 

Scotts  of  Eskdale,  a  stalwart  band,^ 

Came  trooping  down  the  Todshawhill ; 
By  the  sword  they  won  their  land, 

1  [See,  besides  the  note  on  this  stanza,  one  in  the  Border  Minstrelsy,  vol.  ii. 
p.  10,  respecting  Waf  of  Harden,  the  Author's  ancestor. 

A  satirical  piece,  entitled  "  The  Town  Eclogue,"  which  made  much  noise  in 
Edinburgh  shortly  after  the  appearance  of  the  Minstrelsy,  has  these  lines  :  — 

"  A  modern  author  spends  a  hundred  leaves. 
To  prove  his  ancestors  notorious  thieves."  —  Ed.] 

2  [Stanzas  x.  xi.  xii.,  were  not  in  the  first  edition.] 

3  In  this,  and  the  following  stanza,  some  account  is  given  of  the  mode  in 
which  the  property  in  the  valley  of  Esk  was  transferred  from  the  Beattisons,  its 
ancient  possessors,  to  the  name  of  Scott.  It  is  needless  to  repeat  the  circum- 
stances, which  are  given  in  the  poem,  literally  as  they  have  been  preserved  by 


q8  the  lay  of  [canto  IV. 

And  by  the  sword  they  hold  it  still. 
Hearken,  Ladye,  to  the  tale, 
How  thy  sires  won  fair  Eskdale.  — 
Earl  Morton  was  lord  of  that  valley  fair, 
The  Beattisons  were  his  \assals  there. 
The  Earl  was  gentle,  and  mild  of  mood. 
The  vassals  were  warlike,  and  fierce,  and  rude  ; 
High  of  heart,  and  haughty  of  word. 
Little  they  reck'd  of  a  tame  liege  lord. 
The  Earl  into  fair  Eskdale  came, 
Homage  and  seignory  to  claim  : 
Of  Gilbert  the  Galliard  a  heriot '  he  sought, 
Saying,  "  Give  thy  best  steed,  as  a  vassal  ought," 
—  "  Dear  to  me  is  my  bonny  white  steed, 
Oft  has  he  help'd  me  at  pinch  of  need  ; 
Lord  and  Earl  though  thou  be,  I  trow, 
I  can  rein  Bucksfoot  better  than  thou."  — 
Word  on  word  gave  fuel  to  fire, 
Till  so  highly  blazed  the  Beattison's  ire. 
But  that  the  earl  the  flight  had  ta'en, 
The  vassals  there  their  lord  had  slain. 
Sore  he  plied  both  whip  and  spur, 
As  he  urged  his  steed  through  Eskdale  muir ; 
And  it  fell  down  a  weary  weight, 
Just  on  the  threshold  of  Branksome  gate. 


tradition.  Lord  Maxwell,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  century,  took  upon 
himself  the  title  of  Earl  of  Morton.  The  descendants  of  Beattison  of  Wood- 
kerrick,  who  aided  the  Earl  to  escape  from  his  disobedient  vassals,  continued 
to  hold  these  lands  within  the  memory  of  man,  and  were  the  only  Beattisons 
who  had  property  in  the  dale.  The  old  people  give  locality  to  the  story, 
by  showing  the  Galliard's  Haugh,  the  Place  where  Buccleuch's  men  were  con- 
cealed, &c. 

1  The  feudal  superior,  in  certain  cases,  was  entitled  to  the  best  horse  of  the 
vassal,  in  name  of  Heriot,  or  Herezeld. 


CANTO  IV.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  qq 

XI. 

The  Earl  was  a  wrathful  man  to  see, 
Full  fain  avenged  would  he  be. 
In  haste  to  Branksome's  Lord  he  spoke, 
Saying  —  "Take  these  traitors  to  thy  yoke  ; 
For  a  cast  of  hawks,  and  a  purse  of  gold, 
All  Eskdale  I'll  sell  thee,  to  have  and  hold  : 
Beshrew  thy  heart,  of  the  Beattisons'  clan 
If  thou  leavest  on  Eske  a  landed  man  ; 
But  spare  Woodkerrick's  lands  alone, 
For  he  lent  me  his  horse  to  escape  upon." 
A  glad  man  then  was  Branksome  bold, 
Down  he  flung  him  the  purse  of  gold ; 
To  Eskdale  soon  he  spurr'd  amain, 
And  with  him  five  hundred  riders  has  ta'en. 
He  left  his  merrymen  in  the  mist  of  the  hill, 
I  And  bade  them  hold  them  close  and  still ; 
And  alone  he  wended  to  the  plain, 
To  meet  with  the  Galliard  and  all  his  train. 
To  Gilbert  the  Galliard  thus  he  said  :  — 
"  Know  thou  me  for  thy  liege-lord  and  head  ; 
Deal  not  with  me  as  with  Morton  tame. 
For  Scotts  play  best  at  the  roughest  game. 
Give  me  in  peace  my  heriot  due. 
Thy  bonny  white  steed,  or  thou  shalt  rue. 
If  my  horn  I  three  times  wind, 
Eskdale  shall  long  have  the  sound  in  mind."  — 

XII. 

Loudly  the  Beattison  laugh'd  in  scorn; 
"  Little  care  we  for  thy  winded  horn. 
Ne'er  shall  it  be  the  Galliard's  lot. 
To  yield  his  steed  to  a  haughty  Scott. 


lOO 


THE  LAY  OF  [canto  iv. 

Wend  thou  to  Branksome  back  on  foot, 

With  rusty  spur  and  miry  boot."  — 

He  blew  his  bugle  so  loud  and  hoarse, 

That  the  dun  deer  started  at  fair  Craikcross ; 

He  blew  again  so  loud  and  clear, 

Through  the  gray  mountain-mist  there  did  lances  appear  ; 

And  the  third  blast  rang  with  such  a  din, 

That  the  echoes  answer'd  from  Pentoun-linn, 

And  all  his  riders  came  lightly  in. 

Then  had  you  seen  a  gallant  shock, 

When  saddles  were  emptied,  and  lances  broke  ! 

For  each  scornful  word  the  Galliard  had  said, 

A  Beattison  on  the  field  was  laid. 

His  own  good  sword  the  chieftain  drew, 

And  he  bore  the  Galliard  through  and  through  \ 

Where  the  Beattisons'  blood  mix'd  with  the  rill, 

The  Galliard's  Haugh  men  call  it  still. 

The  Scotts  have  scatter'd  the  Beattison  clan, 

In  Eskdale  they  left  but  one  landed  man. 

The  valley  of  Eske,  from  the  mouth  to  the  source, 

Was  lost  and  won  for  that  bonny  white  horse. 

xni 

Whitslade  the  Hawk,  and  Headshaw  came. 
And  warriors  more  than  I  may  name  ; 
From  Yarrow-cleuch  to  Hindhaugh-swair,^ 

From  Woodhouselie  to  Chester-glen, 
Troop'd  man  and  horse,  and  bow  and  spear ; 

Their  gathering  word  was  Bellenden.- 

1  [This  and  the  three  following  lines  are  not  in  the  first  edition.  —  Ed.] 

2  Bellenden  is  situated  near  the  head  of  Borthvvick  water,  and  being  in  the 
centre  of  the  possessions  of  the  Scotts,  was  frequently  used  as  their  rendezvous 
and  gathering  word.  —  Survey  of  Selkirkshire,  in  Alac/ar lane's  MSS.,  Advo- 
cates' Library.  Hence  Satchells  calls  one  part  of  his  genealogical  account  of 
the  families  of  that  clan,  his  Bellenden. 


CANTO  IV.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  loi 

And  better  hearts  o'er  Border  sod 
To  siege  or  rescue  never  rode. 

The  Ladye  mark'd  the  aids  come  in, 

And  high  her  heart  of  pride  arose  : 
She  bade  her  youthful  son  attend, 
That  he  might  know  his  father's  friend. 

And  learn  to  face  his  foes. 
"The  boy  is  ripe  to  look  on  war ; 

I  saw  him  draw  a  cross-bow  stiff, 
And  his  true  arrow  struck  afar 
The  raven's  nest  upon  the  cliff; 
The  red  cross,  on  a  southern  breast. 
Is  broader  than  the  raven's  nest : 
Thou,  Whitslade,  shalt  teach  him  his  weapon  to  wield. 
And  o'er  him  hold  his  fatlier's  shield."  — 

XIV. 

Well  may  you  think,  the  wily  page 
Cared  not  to  face  the  Ladye  sage. 
He  counterfeited  childish  fear, 
And  shriek'd,  and  shed  full  many  a  tear, 

And  moan'd  and  plain'd  in  manner  wild. 
The  attendants  to  the  Ladye  told. 

Some  fairy,  sure,  had  changed  the  child, 
That  wont  to  be  so  free  and  bold. 
Then  wrathful  was  the  noble  dame  ; 
She  blush' d  blood-red  for  very  shame  :  — 
"  Hence  !  ere  the  clan  his  faintness  view ; 
Hence  with  the  weakling  to  Buccleuch  !  — 
Watt  Tinlinn,  thou  shalt  be  his  guide 
To  Rangleburn's  lonely  side. — 
Sure  some  fell  fiend  has  cursed  our  line. 
That  coward  should  e'er  be  son  of  mine  ! "  — 


102  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  iv. 

XV. 

A  heavy  task  Watt  Tinlinn  had, 
To  guide  the  counterfeited  lad. 
Soon  as  the  palfrey  felt  the  weight 
Of  that  ill-omen'd  elfish  freight, 
He  bolted,  sprung,  and  rear'd  amain, 
Nor  heeded  bit,  nor  curb,  nor  rein. 

It  cost  Watt  Tinlinn  mickle  toil 

To  drive  him  but  a  Scottish  mile  ; 
But  as  a  shallow  brook  they  cross'd, 

The  elf,  amid  the  running  stream. 

His  figure  changed,  like  form  in  dream. 

And  fled,  and  shouted,  "  Lost !  lost !  lost !  " 
Full  fast  the  urchin  ran  and  laugh'd. 
But  faster  still  a  cloth-yard  shaft 
Whistled  from  startled  Tinlinn's  yew, 
And  pierced  his  shoulder  through  and  through. 
Although  the  imp  might  not  be  slain. 
And  though  the  wound  soon  heal'd  again. 
Yet,  as  he  ran,  he  yell'd  for  pain  ; 
And  Watt  of  Tinlinn,  much  aghast, 
Rode  back  to  Branksome  fiery  fast. 

XVI. 

Soon  on  the  hill's  steep  verge  he  stood. 
That  looks  o'er  Branksome's  towers  and  wood ; 
And  martial  murmurs  from  below, 
Proclaim'd  the  approaching  southern  foe. 
Through  the  dark  wood,  in  mingled  tone, 
Were  Border  pipes  and  bugles  blown  ; 

The  coursers'  neighing  he  could  ken, 
A  measured  tread  of  marching  men ; 


CANTO  IV.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL,  103 

While  broke  at  times  the  solemn  hum, 
The  Almayn's  sullen  kettle  drum  ; 
And  banners  tall,  of  crimson  sheen, 

Above  the  copse  appear ; 
And,  glistening  through  the  hawthorns  green. 
Shine  helm,  and  shield,  and  spear. 

XVII. 

Light  forayers,  first,  to  view  the  ground, 
Spurr'd  their  fleet  coursers  loosely  round  ; 

Behind,  in  close  array,  and  fast, 
The  Kendal  archers,  all  in  green. 

Obedient  to  the  bugle  blast, 

Advancing  from  the  wood  were  seen. 
To  back  and  guard  the  archer  band. 
Lord  Dacre's  bill-men  were  at  hand  : 
A  hardy  race,  on  Irthing  bred, 
With  kirtles  white,  and  crosses  red, 
Array'd  beneath  the  banner  tall. 
That  stream'd  o'er  Acre's  conquer'd  wall ; 
And  minstrels,  as  they  march'd  in  order, 
Play'd,  "Noble  Lord  Dacre,  he  dwells  on  the  Border." 

XVIII. 

Behind  the  English  bill  and  bow. 
The  mercenaries,  firm  and  slow, 

ISIoved  on  to  fight,  in  dark  array. 
By  Conrad  led  of  Wolfenstein, 
Who  brought  the  band  from  distant  Rhine, 

And  sold  their  blood  for  foreign  pay. 
The  camp  their  home,  their  law  the  sword. 
They  knew  no  country,  own'd  no  lord  :  1 

1  The  mercenary  adventurers,  whom,  in  1380,  the  Earl  of  Cambridge  carried 
to  the  assistance  of  the  King  of  Portugal  against  the  Spaniards,  mutinied  for 
want  of  regular  pay.    At  an  assembly  of  their  leaders,  Sir  John  Soltier,  a  natu- 


104  -^^^   ^^'^    ^^  [CANTO  IV. 

They  were  not  armed  like  England's  sons, 

But  bore  the  levin-darting  guns  ; 

Buff  coats,  all  frounced  and  'broider'd  o'er, 

And  morsing-horns  ^  and  scarfs  they  wore. 

Each  better  knee  was  bared,  to  aid 

The  warriors  in  the  escalade ; 

All,  as  they  march'd,  in  rugged  tongue, 

Songs  of  Teutonic  feuds  they  sung. 

XIX. 

But  louder  still  the  clamor  grew. 
And  louder  still  the  minstrels  blew. 
When,  from  beneath  the  greenwood  tree, 
Rode  fortli  Lord  Howard's  chivalry  ; 
His  men-at-arms,  with  glaive  and  spear, 
Brought  up  the  battle's  glittering  rear. 
There  many  a  youthful  knight,  full  keen 
To  gain  his  spurs,  in  arms  was  seen  ; 
With  favor  in  his  crest,  or  glove, 
Memorial  of  his  ladye-love. 
So  rode  they  forth  in  fair  array, 
Till  full  their  lengthen'd  lines  display  : 

ral  son  of  Edward  the  Black  Prince,  thus  addressed  them  :  — " '  I  counsayle,  let 
us  be  alle  of  one  alliance,  and  of  one  accorde,  and  let  us  among  ourselves 
reyse  up  the  baner  of  St.  George,  and  let  us  be  frendes  to  God,  and  enemyes 
to  alle  the  worlde ;  for  without  we  make  ourselfe  to  be  feared,  we  gette  noth- 
ynge." 

" '  By  my  fayth,'  quod  Sir  William  Helmon,  '  ye  save  right  well,  and  so  let  us 
do.'  They  all  agreed  with  one  voyce,  and  so  regarded  among  them  who  shulde 
be  their  capitayne.  Then  they  advysed  in  the  case  how  they  coude  nat  have  a 
better  capitayne  than  Sir  John  Soltier.  For  they  sulde  than  have  good  leyser 
to  do  yvel,  and  they  thought  he  was  more  metelyer  thereto  than  any  other. 
Then  they  raised  up  the  penon  of  St.  George,  and  cried,  'A  Soltier!  a  Soltier! 
the  valyaunt  bastarde!  frendes  to  God,  and  enemies  to  all  the  worlde!'"  — 
Froissart,  vol.  i.  ch.  393. 

1  Powder-flasks. 


CANTO  IV.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  105 

Then  call'd  a  halt,  and  made  a  stand, 

And  cried,  "  St.  George,  for  merry  England  !"* 

XX. 

Now  every  English  eye,  intent, 
On  Branksome's  armed  towers  was  bent ; 
So  near  they  were,  that  they  might  know 
The  straining  harsh  of  each  cross-bow ; 
On  battlement  and  bartizan 
Gleam'd  axe,  and  spear,  and  partisan ; 
Falcon  and  culver,^  on  each  tower, 
Stood  prompt  their  deadly  hail  to  shower ; 
And  flashing  armor  frequent  broke 
From  eddying  whirls  of  sable  smoke, 
Where  upon  tower  and  turret  head. 
The  seething  pitch  and  molten  lead 
Reek'd,  like  a  witch's  cauldron  red. 
While  yet  they  gaze,  the  bridges  fall. 
The  wicket  opes,  and  from  the  wall 
Rides  forth  the  hoary  Seneschal. 

XXI. 

Armed  he  rode,  all  save  the  head, 

His  white  beard  o'er  his  breast-plate  spread  ; 

Unbroke  by  age,  erect  his  seat, 

He  ruled  his  eager  courser's  gait ; 

Forced  him,  with  chasten'd  fire,  to  prance, 

And,  high  curvetting,  slow  advance  : 

In  sign  of  truce,  his  better  hand 

1  ["  The  stanzas,  describing  the  march  of  the  English  forces,  and  the  inves- 
titure of  the  Castle  of  Branxholm,  display  a  great  knowledge  of  ancient  cos- 
tume, as  well  as  a  most  picturesque  and  lively  picture  of  feudal  warfare."  — 
Critical  Review?^ 

2  Ancient  pieces  of  artillery. 


I06  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  iv. 

Display'd  a  peeled  willow  wand  ; 

His  squire,  attending  in  the  rear, 

Bore  high  a  gauntlet  on  a  spear.' 

When  they  espied  him  riding  out. 

Lord  Howard  and  Lord  Dacre  stout 

Sped  to  the  front  of  their  array, 

To  hear  what  this  old  knight  should  say. 

xxn. 

"  Ye  English  warden  lords,  of  you. 

Demands  the  Ladye  of  Buccleuch, 

Why,  'gainst  the  truce  of  Border  tide, 

In  hostile  guise  ye  dare  to  ride, 

With  Kendal  bow,  and  Gilsland  brand, 

And  all  yon  mercenary  band, 

Upon  the  bounds  of  fair  Scotland  ? 

My  Ladye  reads  you  swith  return  ; 

And,  if  but  one  poor  straw  you  burn, 

Or  do  our  towers  so  much  molest. 

As  scare  one  swallow  from  her  nest, 

St.  Mary  !  but  we'll  light  a  brand 

Shall  warm  your  hearths  in  Cumberland."  — 

XXHL 

A  wrathful  man  was  Dacre 's  lord. 
But  calmer  Howard  took  the  word  : 
"  May't  please  thy  Dame,  Sir  Seneschal, 
To  seek  the  castle's  outward  wall, 
Our  pursuivant-at-arms  shall  show 

1  A  glove  upon  a  lance  was  the  emblem  of  faith  among  the  ancient  Border- 
ers, who  were  wont,  when  any  one  broke  his  word,  to  expose  this  emblem,  and 
proclaim  him  a  faithless  villain  at  the  first  Border  meeting.  This  ceremony 
was  much  dreaded.     See  LESLEY. 


In  sign  of  truce  his  better  hand 
Display'd  a  peeled  willow-wand." 

Canto  iv.  21. 


CANTO  IV.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  107 

Both  why  we  came,  and  when  we  go."  — 
The  message  sped,  the  noble  Dame 
To  the  wall's  outward  circle  came  ; 
Each  chief  around  lean'd  on  his  spear, 
To  see  the  pursuivant  appear. 
All  in  Lord  Howard's  livery  dress'd. 
The  lion  argent  deck'd  his  breast ; 
He  led  a  boy  of  blooming  hue  - 
O  sight  to  meet  a  mother's  view  ! 
It  was  the  heir  of  great  Buccleuch. 
Obeisance  meet  the  herald  made, 
And  thus  his  master's  will  he  said. 

XXIV. 

"  It  irks,  high  Dame,  my  noble  Lords, 
'Gainst  ladye  fair  to  draw  their  swords ; 
But  yet  they  may  not  tamely  see, 
All  through  the  Western  Wardenry, 
Your  law-contemning  kinsmen  ride. 
And  burn  and  spoil  the  Border-side  ; 
And  ill  beseems  your  rank  and  birth 
To  make  your  towers  a  flemens-firth.' 
We  claim  from  thee  William  of  Deloraine, 
That  he  may  suffer  march-treason  -  pain. 

1  An  asylum  for  outlaws. 

2  Several  species  of  ofifences,  peculiar  to  the  Border,  constituted  what  was 
called  march-treason.  Among  others,  was  the  crime  of  riding,  or  causing  to 
ride,  against  the  opposite  country  during  the  time  of  truce.  Thus,  in  an  inden- 
ture made  at  the  water  of  Eske,  beside  Salom,  on  the  25th  day  of  March,  1334, 
betwixt  noble  lords  and  mighty,  Sirs  Henry  Percy,  Earl  of  Northumberland, 
and  Archibald  Douglas,  Lord  of  Galloway,  a  truce  is  agreed  upon  until  the  ist 
day  of  July;  and  it  is  expressly  accorded,  "  Gif  ony  stellis  authir  on  the  ta  part, 
or  on  the  tothyr,  that  he  shall  be  hanget  or  heofdit ;  and  gif  ony  company  stellis 
any  gudes  within  the  trieux  beforesayd,  ane  of  that  company  sail  be  hanget  or 
heofdit,  and  the  remanant  sail  restore  the  gudys  stolen  in  the  dubble."  —  History 
of  Westmoreland  and  Cumberland,  Introd.,  p.  xxxix. 


io8  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  iv. 

It  was  but  last  St.  Cuthbert's  even 
He  prick'd  to  Stapleton  on  Leven, 
Harried  '  the  lands  of  Richard  Musgrave, 
And  slew  his  brother  by  dint  of  glaive. 
Then,  since  a  lone  and  widow'd  Dame 
These  restless  riders  may  not  tame, 
Either  receive  within  thy  towers 
Two  hundred  of  my  master's  powers, 
Or  straight  they  sound  their  warrison,^ 
And  storm  and  spoil  thy  garrison  : 
And  this  fair  boy  to  London  led. 
Shall  good  King  Edward's  page  be  bred." 

XXV. 

He  ceased  —  and  loud  the  boy  did  cry, 
And  stretched  his  little  arms  on  high  ; 
Implored  for  aid  each  well-known  face, 
And  strove  to  seek  the  dame's  embrace. 
A  moment  changed  that  Ladye's  cheer, 
Gush'd  to  her  eye  the  unbidden  tear ; 
She  gazed  upon  the  leaders  round, 
And  dark  and  sad  each  warrior  frown'd  ; 
Then,  deep  within  her  sobbing  breast 
She  lock'd  the  struggling  sigh  to  rest ; 
Unalter'd  and  collected  stood. 
And  thus  replied,  in  dauntless  mood  :  — 

XXVI. 

"  Say  to  your  Lord  of  high  emprize,"^ 
Who  war  on  women  and  on  boys, 

1  Plundered. 

2  Note  of  assault. 

3  \Orig.  "Say  to  thy  Lords  of  high  emprize."] 


CANTO  IV.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  109 

That  either  Wilham  of  Deloraine 

Will  cleanse  him,  by  oath,  of  march-treason  stain, ^ 

Or  else  he  will  the  combat  take 

'Gainst  Musgrave,  for  his  honor's  sake. 

No  knight  in  Cumberland  so  good. 

But  William  may  count  with  him  kin  and  blood. 

Knighthood  he  took  of  Douglas'  sword,'^ 

When  English  blood  swell'd  Ancram's  ford,-^ 

And  but  Lord  Dacre's  steed  was  wight. 

And  bare  him  ably  in  the  flight, 

Himself  had  seen  him  dubb'd  a  knight. 

For  the  young  heir  of  Branksome's  line, 

God  be  his  aid,  and  God  be  mine  ; 

Through  me  no  friend  shall  meet  his  doom ; 

Here,  while  I  live,  no  foe  finds  room. 

Then,  if  thy  Lords  their  purpose  urge, 
Take  our  defiance  loud  and  high  ; 

Our  slogan  is  their  lyke-wake"*  dirge. 

Our  moat,  the  grave  where  they  shall  lie." 

xxvn. 

Proud  she  look'd  round,  applause  to  claim  — 
Then  lighten'd  Thirlstane's  eye  of  flame  ; 

1  In  dubious  cases,  the  innocence  of  Border  criminals  was  occasionally 
referred  to  their  own  oath.  The  form  of  excusing  bills,  or  indictments,  by 
Border-oath,  ran  thus  :  — "  You  shall  swear  by  heaven  above  you,  hell  beneath 
you,  by  your  part  of  Paradise,  by  all  that  God  made  in  six  days  and  seven 
nights,  and  by  God  himself,  you  are  whart  out  sackless  of  art,  part,  way,  witting, 
ridd,  kenning,  having,  or  recetting  of  any  of  the  goods  and  cattels  named  in 
this  bill.     So  help  you  God."  — History  of  Cumberlatid,  Introd.,  p.  xxv. 

2  See  Appendix,  Note  E  2. 

3  The  battle  of  Ancram  Moor,  or  Penielheuch,  was  fought  A.D.,  1545.  The 
English,  commanded  by  Sir  Ralph  Evers,  and  Sir  Brian  Latoun,  were  totally 
routed,  and  both  their  leaders  slain  in  the  action.  The  Scottish  army  was 
commanded  by  Archibald  Douglas,  Earl  of  Angus,  assisted  by  the  Laird  of 
Buccleugh  and  Norman  Lesley. 

*  Lyke-'wakc,  the  watching  a  corpse  previous  to  interment. 


no  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  iv. 

His  bugle  Wat  of  Harden  blew  ; 
Pensils  and  pennons  wide  were  flung, 
To  heaven  the  Border  slogan  rung, 

"  St.  Mary  for  the  young  Buccleuch  !  " 
The  English  war-cry  answer'd  wide. 

And  forward  bent  each  southern  spear ; 
Each  Kendal  archer  made  a  stride. 

And  drew  the  bowstring  to  his  ear ; 
Each  minstrel's  war-note  loud  was  blown  ;  — 
But,  ere  a  gray-goose  shaft  had  flown, 

A  horseman  gallop 'd  from  the  rear. 

XXVHI. 

"Ah  !  noble  Lords  !  "  he  breathless  said, 

"What  treason  has  your  march  betray'd? 

What  make  you  here,  from  aid  so  far. 

Before  you  walls,  around  you  war? 

Your  foemen  triumph  in  the  thought, 

That  in  the  toils  the  lion's  caught. 

Already  on  dark  Ruberslaw 

The  Douglas  holds  his  weapon-schaw  ;  ^ 

The  lances,  waving  in  his  train, 

Clothe  the  dun  heath  like  autumn  grain  ; 

And  on  the  Liddel's  northern  strand, 

To  bar  retreat  to  Cumberland, 

Lord  Maxwell  ranks  his  merry-men  good, 

Beneath  the  eagle  and  the  rood  ; 

And  Jedwood,  Eske,  and  Teviotdale, 
Have  to  proud  Angus  come  ; 

And  all  the  Merse  and  Lauderdale 
Have  risen  with  haughty  Home. 

An  exile  from  Northumberland, 

1    Weapon-Schatv,  the  military  array  of  a  county. 


CANTO  IV.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  1 1  j 

In  Liddesdale  I've  wander 'd  long ; 
But  still  my  heart  was  with  merry  England, 
And  cannot  brook  my  country's  wrong ; 
And  hard  I've  spurr'd  all  night,  to  show 
The  mustering  of  the  coming  foe."  — 

XXIX. 

"  And  let  them  come  !  "  fierce  Dacre  cried  ; 
"  For  soon  yon  crest,  my  father's  pride, 
That  swept  the  shores  of  Judah's  sea. 
And  wa\'ed  in  gales  of  Galilee, 
From  Branksome's  highest  towers  display'd, 
Shall  mock  the  rescue's  lingering  aid  !  — 
Level  each  harquebuss  on  row  ; 
Draw,  merry  archers,  draw  the  bow ; 
Up,  bill-men,  to  the  walls,  and  cry, 
Dacre  for  England,  win  or  die  ! " — 

XXX. 

"  Yet  hear,"  quoth  Howard,  "  calmly  hear, 
Nor  deem  my  words  the  words  of  fear : 
For  who,  in  field  or  foray  slack, 
Saw  the  blanche  lion  e'er  fell  backpi 

1  This  was  the  cognizance  of  the  noble  house  of  Howard  in  all  its  branches. 
The  crest,  or  bearing,  of  a  warrior,  was  often  used  as  a  nomme  dc  guerre.  Thus 
Richard  III.  acquired  his  well-known  epithet,  The  Boar  of  York.  In  the  vio- 
lent satire  on  Cardinal  Wolsey,  written  by  Roy,  commonly,  but  erroneously, 
imputed  to  Dr.  Bull,  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  is  called  the  Beautiful  Swan, 
and  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  or  Earl  of  Surrey,  the  White  Lion.  As  the  book  is 
extremely  rare,  and  the  whole  passage  relates  to  the  emblematical  interpreta- 
tion of  heraldry,  it  shall  be  here  given  at  length. 

"  TIic  Description  of  the  Artnes. 
"  Of  the  proud  Cardinal  this  is  the  shelde, 
Borne  up  betweene  two  angels  of  Sathan: 
The  six  bloudy  axes  in  a  bare  felde, 
Sheweth  the  cruelte  of  the  red  man, 


112  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  iv. 

But  thus  to  risk  our  Border  flower 

In  strife  against  a  kingdom's  power, 

Ten  thousand  Scots  'gainst  thousands  three, 

Certes,  were  desperate  poHcy. 

Nay,  take  the  terms  the  Ladye  made, 

Ere  conscious  of  the  advancing  aid  : 

Let  Musgrave  meet  fierce  Deloraine  ^ 

In  single  fight,  and,  if  he  gain, 

He  gains  for  us  ;  but  if  he's  cross 'd, 

'Tis  but  a  single  warrior  lost : 

The  rest,  retreating  as  they  came. 

Avoid  defeat,  and  death,  and  shame." 

XXXI. 

Ill  could  the  haughty  Dacre  brook 
His  brother  Warden's  sage  rebuke  ; 
And  yet  his  forward  step  he  staid. 
And  slow  and  sullenly  obey'd. 

Which  hath  devoured  the  Beautiful  Swan, 

Mortal  enemy  unto  the  Whyte  Lion, 

Carter  of  Yorke,  the  vyle  butcher's  sonne. 

The  six  bulles  heddes  in  a  felde  blacke, 

Betokeneth  his  stordy  furiousness, 

Wherefore,  the  godly  lyght  to  put  abacke, 

He  bryngeth  in  his  dyvlish  darcness; 

The  bandog  in  the  raiddes  doth  expresse 

The  mastiff  curre  bred  in  Ypswich  towne, 

Gnawynge  with  his  teth  a  kinges  crowne. 

The  cloubbe  signifieth  playne  his  tiranny, 

Covered  over  with  a  Cardinal's  hatt, 

Wherein  shall  be  fulfilled  the  prophecy, 

Aryse  up,  Jacke,  and  put  on  thy  salatt. 

For  the  tyme  is  come  of  bagge  and  walatt. 

The  temporall  chevalry  thus  thrown  doune, 

Wherefor,  prest,  take  hede,  and  beware  thy  crowne." 

There  were  two  copies  of  this  very  scarce  satire  in  the  library  of  the  late 
John,  Duke  of  Roxburghe.  See  an  account  of  it  also  in  Sir  Egerton  Brydges' 
curious  miscellany,  the  Censura  Literaria. 

1  See  Appendix,  Note  F  2. 


CANTO  IV.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  113 

But  ne'er  again  the  border  side 
Did  these  two  lords  in  friendship  ride  ; 
And  this  shght  discontent,  men  say, 
Cost  blood  upon  another  day. 

XXXII. 

The  pursuivant-at-arms  again 

Before  the  castle  took  his  stand  ; 
His  trumpet  call'd,  with  parleying  strain, 

The  leaders  of  the  Scottish  band  ; 
And  he  defied,  in  Musgrave's  right, 
Stout  Deloraine  to  single  fight ; 
A  gauntlet  at  their  feet  he  laid. 
And  thus  the  terms  of  fight  he  said  :  — 
"If  in  the  lists  good  Musgrave's  sword 

Vanquish  the  Knight  of  Deloraine, 
Your  youthful  chieftain,  Branksome's  Lord, 

Shall  hostage  for  his  clan  remain  : 
If  Deloraine  foil  good  Musgrave, 
The  boy  his  liberty  shall  have. 

Howe'er  it  falls,  the  English  band, 
Unharming  Scots,  by  Scots  unharm'd, 
In  peaceful  march,  like  men  unarm'd. 

Shall  straight  retreat  to  Cumberland." 

XXXIII. 

Unconscious  of  the  near  relief. 

The  proffer  pleased  each  Scottish  chief, 

Though  much  the  Ladye  sage  gainsay'd  ; 
For  though  their  hearts  were  brave  and  true, 
From  Jedwood's  recent  sack  they  knew. 

How  tard}'  was  the  Regent's  aid  : 
And  you  may  guess  the  noble  Dame 


114  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  iv. 

Durst  not  the  secret  prescience  own, 
Sprung  from  the  art  she  might  not  name, 

By  which  the  coming  help  was  known. 
Closed  was  the  compact,  and  agreed 
That  lists  should  be  enclosed  with  speed. 

Beneath  the  castle,  on  a  lawn  : 
They  fix'd  the  morrow  for  the  strife. 
On  foot,  with  Scottish  axe  and  knife. 

At  the  fourth  hour  from  peep  of  dawn  ; 
When  Deloraine,  from  sickness  freed, 
Or  else  a  champion  in  his  stead, 
Should  for  himself  and  chieftain  stand, 
Against  stout  Musgrave,  hand  to  hand. 

XXXIV. 
I  know  right  well,  that,  in  their  lay, 
Full  many  minstrels  sing  and  say. 

Such  combat  should  be  made  on  horse, 
On  foaming  steed,  in  full  career. 
With  brand  to  aid,  when  as  the  spear 

Should  shiver  in  the  course  : 
But  he,  the  jovial  Harper,^  taught 
Me,  yet  a  youth,  how  it  was  fought. 

In  guise  which  now  I  say  ; 
He  knew  each  ordinance  and  clause 
Of  Black  Lord  Archibald's  batde-laws,^ 

1  See  Appendix,  Note  G  2. 

2  The  title  to  the  most  ancient  collection  of  Border  regulations  runs  thus : 
—  "Be  it  remembered,  that,  on  the  iSth  day  of  December,  1468,  Earl  Wil- 
liam  Doua-las  assembled  the  whole  lords,  freeholders,  and  eldest  Borderers, 
that  best  knowledge  had,  at  the  college  of  Linclouden  ;  and  there  he  caused 
these  lords  and  Borderers  bodily  to  be  sworn,  the  Holy  Gospel  touched, 
that  they,  justly  and  truly,  after  their  cunning,  should  decrete,  decern, 
deliver,  and  put  in  order  and  writing,  the  statutes,  ordinances,  and  uses 
of  marche,  that  were  ordained  in  Black  Archibald  of  Douglas  s  days,  and 
Archibald  his  son's  days,  in  time  of  warfare ;    and  they  came  again  to  him 


CANTO  IV.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  115 

In  the  old  Douglas'  day. 
He  brook'd  not,  lie,  that  scoffing  tongue 
Should  tax  his  minstrelsy  with  wrong, 

Or  call  his  song  untrue  : 
For  this,  when  they  the  goblet  plied, 
And  such  rude  taunt  had  chafed  his  pride, 

The  Bard  of  Reull  he  slew. 
On  Teviot's  side,  in  fight  they  stood. 
And  tuneful  hands  were  stain'd  with  blood  ; 
Where  still  the  thorn's  white  branches  wave, 
Memorial  o'er  his  rival's  grave. 

XXXV. 

Why  should  I  tell  the  rigid  doom, 
That  dragg'd  my  master  to  his  tomb ; 

How  Ousenam's  maidens  tore  their  hair, 
Wept  till  their  eyes  were  dead  and  dim. 
And  wrung  their  hands  for  love  of  him. 

Who  died  at  Jedwood  Air? 
He  died  !  —  his  scholars,  one  by  one, 
To  the  cold  silent  grave  are  gone ; 
And  I,  alas  !  survive  alone. 
To  muse  o'er  rivalries  of  yore, 
And  grieve  that  I  shall  hear  no  more 
The  strains,  with  envy  heard  before  ; 

advisedly  with  these  statutes  and  ordinances,  which  were  in  time  of  warfare 
before.  The  said  Earl  William,  seeing  the  statutes  in  writing  decreed  and 
delivered  by  the  said  lords  and  Borderers,  thought  them  right  speedful  and 
profitable  to  the  Borders ;  the  which  statutes,  ordinances,  and  points  of  warfare, 
he  took,  and  the  whole  lords  and  Borderers  he  caused  bodily  to  be  sworn,  that 
they  should  maintain  and  supply  him  at  their  goodly  power,  to  do  the  law  upon 
those  that  'should  break  the  statutes  underwritten.  Also,  the  said  Earl  Wil- 
liam, and  lords,  and  eldest  Borderers,  made  certain  points  to  be  treason  in 
time  of  warfare  to  be  used,  which  were  no  treason  before  his  time,  but  to  be 
treason  in  his  time,  and  in  all  time  coming." 


1 16         THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL,  [canto  iv.] 

For,  with  my  minstrel  brethren  fled, 
My  jealousy  of  song  is  dead. 


He  paused  :  the  listening  dames  again 
Applaud  the  hoary  Minstrel's  strain. 
With  many  a  word  of  kindly  cheer,  — 
In  pity  half,  and  half  sincere,  — 
Marvell'd  the  Duchess  how  so  well 
His  legendary  song  could  tell  — 
Of  ancient  deeds,  so  long  forgot ; 
Of  feuds,  whose  memory  was  not ; 
Of  forests,  now  laid  waste  and  bare  ; 
Of  towers,  which  harbor  now  the  hare  ; 
Of  manners,  long  since  changed  and  gone  ; 
Of  chiefs,  who  under  their  gray  stone  . 
So  long  had  slept,  that  fickle  Fame 
Had  blotted  from  her  rolls  their  name. 
And  twined  round  some  new  minion's  head 
The  fading  wreath  for  which  they  bled ; 
In  sooth,  'twas  strange,  this  old  man's  verse 
Could  call  them  from  their  marble  hearse. 

The  Harper  smiled,  well-pleased  ;  for  ne'er 
Was  flattery  lost  on  poet's  ear  : 
A  simple  race  !  they  waste  their  toil 
For  the  vain  tribute  of  a  smile  ; 
E'en  when  in  age  their  flame  expires. 
Her  dulcet  breath  can  fan  its  fires  : 
Their  drooping  fancy  wakes  at  praise. 
And  strives  to  trim  the  short-lived  blaze. 

Smiled  then,  well-pleased,  the  Aged  Man, 
And  thus  his  tale  continued  ran. 


Citnt0  ^ItJje. 


Call  it  not  vain  :  —  they  do  not  err, 

Who  say,  that  when  the  Poet  dies, 

Mute  Nature  mourns  her  worshipper, 

And  celebrates  his  obsequies  : 
Who  say,  tall  cliff,  and  cavern  lone, 
For  the  departed  Bard  make  moan 
That  mountains  weep  in  crystal  rill 
That  flowers  in  tears  of  balm  distil 
Through  his  loved  groves  that  breezes  sigh, 
And  oaks,  in  deeper  groan,  reply  ; 
And  rivers  teach  their  rushing  wave 
To  murmur  dirges  round  his  grave. 

11. 

Not  that,  in  sooth,  o'er  mortal  urn 
Those  things  inanimate  can  mourn ; 
But  that  the  stream,  the  wood,  the  gale, 
Is  vocal  with  the  plaintive  wail 
Of  those,  who,  else  forgotten  long, 
Lived  in  the  poet's  faithful  song. 
And,  with  the  poet's  parting  breath. 
Whose  memory  feels  a  second  death. 
The  Maid's  pale  shade,  who  wails  her  lot, 
That  love,  true  love,  should  be  forgot. 
From  rose  and  hawthorn  shakes  the  tear 


1 1 8  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  v. 

Upon  the  gentle  Minstrel's  bier  : 

The  phantom  Knight,  his  glory  fled, 

Mourns  o'er  the  field  he  heap'd  with  dead ; 

Mounts  the  wild  blast  that  sweeps  amain, 

And  shrieks  along  the  battle  plain  : 

The  Chief,  whose  antique  crownlet  long 

Still  sparkled  in  the  feudal  song, 

Now,  from  the  mountain's  misty  throne, 

Sees,  in  the  thanedom  once  his  own, 

His  ashes  undistinguish'd  lie, 

His  place,  his  power,  his  memory  die  : 

His  groans  the  lonely  caverns  fill, 

His  tears  of  rage  impel  the  rill : 

All  mourn  the  Minstrel's  harp  unstrung, 

Their  name  unknown,  their  praise  unsung. 

in. 

Scarcely  the  hot  assault  was  staid. 

The  terms  of  truce  were  scarcely  made, 

When  they  could  spy,  from  Branksome's  towers, 

The  advancing  march  of  martial  powers. 

Thick  clouds  of  dust  afar  appear' d. 

And  trampling  steeds  were  faintly  heard ; 

Bright  spears,!  above  the  columns  dun, 

Glanced  momentary  to  the  sun  ; 

And  feudal  banners  fair  display' d 

The  bands  that  moved  to  Branksome's  aid. 

IV. 

Vails  not  to  tell  each  hardy  clan, 

From  the  fair  Middle  Marches  came ; 
The  Bloody  Heart  blazed  in  the  van, 

1   \Orig.  "  Spear-heads  above  the  columns  dun."  —  Ed.] 


CANTO  v.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  n^ 

Announcing  Douglas,  dreaded  name  !  ^ 
Vails  not  to  tell  what  steeds  did  spurn,- 
Where  the  Seven  Spears  of  Wedderburne  "^ 

Their  men  in  battle-order  set ; 
And  Svvinton  laid  the  lance  in  rest, 
That  tamed  of  yore  the  sparkling  crest 

Of  Clarence's  Plantagenet.'* 
Nor  list  I  say  what  hundreds  more. 
From  the  rich  Merse  and  Lammermore, 
And  Tweed's  fair  borders,  to  the  war. 
Beneath  the  crest  of  Old  Dunbar, 

And  Hepburn's  mingled  banners  come, 
Down  the  steep  mountain  glittering  far, 

And  shouting  still,  "  A  Home  !  a  Home  !  "  ^ 

1  The  chief  of  this  potent  race  of  heroes,  about  the  date  of  the  poem,  was 
Archibald  Douglas,  seventh  Earl  of  Angus,  a  man  of  great  courage  and  activ- 
ity. The  Bloody  Heart  was  the  well-known  cognizance  of  the  house  of  Doug- 
las, assumed  from  the  time  of  good  Lord  James,  to  whose  care  Robert  Bruce 
committed  his  heart,  to  be  carried  to  the  Holy  Land. 

2  [In  the  first  edition  we  read,  — 

"  Vails  not  to  tell  what  hundreds  more 
From  the  rich  Merse  and  Lammermore,"  &c. 

The  lines  on  Wedderburne  and  Swinton  were  inserted  in  the  second  edition. 
—  Ed.] 

3  Sir  David  Home  of  Wedderburne,  who  was  slain  in  the  fatal  battle  of 
Flodden,  left  seven  sons  by  his  wife,  Isabel,  daughter  of  Hoppringle  of  Gala- 
shiels (now  Pringle  of  Whitebank).  They  were  called  the  Seven  Spears  of 
Wedderburne. 

■*  At  the  battle  of  Beauge,  in  France,  Thomas  duke  of  Clarence,  brother  to 
Henry  V.,  was  unhorsed  by  Sir  John  Swinton  of  Swinton,  who  distinguished 
him  by  a  coronet  set  with  precious  stones,  which  he  wore  around  his  helmet. 
The  family  of  Swinton  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  in  Scotland,  and  produced 
many  celebrated  warriors.* 

5  The  Earls  of  Home,  as  descendants  of  the  Dunbars,  ancient  Earls  of 
March,  carried  a  lion  rampant,  argent;  but,  as  a  difference,  changed  the  color 
of  the  shield  from  gules  to  vert,  in  allusion  to  Greenlaw,  their  ancient  posses- 

*  [See  the  Battle  of  Halidon  Hill.  Sir  W.  Scott  was  descended  from  Sir  John  Swin- 
ton.—Ed.] 


I20  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  v. 

V. 

Now  squire  and  knight,  from  Eranksome  sent, 

On  many  a  courteous  message  went ; 

To  every  chief  and  lord  they  paid 

]\Ieet  thanks  for  prompt  and  powerful  aid ; 

And  told  them,  —  how  a  truce  was  made, 

And  how  a  day  of  fight  was  ta'en 

'Twixt  Musgrave  and  Stout  Deloraine  ; 
And  how  the  Ladye  pray'd  them  dear. 

That  all  would  stay  the  fight  to  see, 

And  deign,  in  love  and  courtesy, 
To  taste  of  Branksome  cheer. 
Nor,  while  they  bade  to  feast  each  Scot, 
Were  England's  noble  Lords  forgot. 
Himself,  the  hoary  Seneschal 
Rode  forth,  in  seemly  terms  to  call 
Those  gallant  foes  to  Branksome  Hall. 
Accepted  Howard,  than  whom  knight 
Was  never  dubb'd,  more  bold  in  fight  \ 
Nor,  when  from  war  and  armor  free. 
More  famed  for  stately  courtesy  : 
But  angry  Dacre  rather  chose 
In  his  pavilion  to  repose. 

VI. 

Now,  noble  Dame,  ])erchance  you  ask, 
How  these  two  hostile  armies  met? 

sion.  The  slogan,  or  war-cry,  of  this  powerful  family,  was,  "  A  Home!  A 
Home  !  "  It  was  anciently  placed  in  an  escrol  above  the  crest.  The  helmet  is 
armed  with  a  lion's  head  erased  gules,  with  a  cap  of  state  gules,  turned  up 
ermine. 

The  Hepburns,  a  powerful  family  in  East  Lothian,  were  usually  in  close  alli- 
ance with  the  Homes.  The  chief  of  this  clan  was  Hepburn,  Lord  of  Hailes ;  a 
family  which  terminated  in  the  too  famous  Earl  of  Bothwell. 


CANTO  v.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  1 2 1 

Deeming  it  were  no  easy  task 

To  keep  the  truce  which  here  was  set ; 
Where  martial  spirits,  all  on  fire, 
Breathed  only  blood  and  mortal  ire.  — 
By  mutual  inroads,  mutual  blows, 
By  habit,  and  by  nation,  foes. 

They  met  on  Teviot's  strand ; 
They  met  and  sate  them  mingled  down, 
Without  a  threat,  without  a  firown, 

As  brothers  meet  in  foreign  land  : 
The  hands,  the  spear  that  lately  grasp'd. 
Still  in  the  mailed  gauntlet  clasp'd. 

Were  interchanged  in  greeting  dear ; 
Visors  were  raised,  and  faces  shown. 
And  many  a  friend,  to  friend  made  known. 

Partook  of  social  cheer. 
Some  drove  the  jolly  bowl  about ; 

With  dice  and  draughts  some  chased  the  day ; 
And  some,  with  many  a  merry  shout, 
In  riot,  revelry,  and  rout. 

Pursued  the  foot-ball  play.^ 

VII. 

Yet,  be  it  known,  had  bugles  blown, 

Or  sign  of  war  been  seen, 
Those  bands,  so  fair  together  ranged, 

1  The  foot-ball  was  anciently  a  very  favorite  sport  all  through  Scotland,  but 
especially  upon  the  Borders.  Sir  John  Carmichael  of  Carmichael,  Warden  of 
the  Middle  Marches,  was  killed  in  1600  by  a  band  of  the  Armstrongs,  returning 
from  a  foot-ball  match.  Sir  Robert  Carey,  in  his  Memoirs,  mentions  a  great 
meeting,  appointed  by  the  Scotch  riders  to  be  held  at  Kelso  for  the  purpose  of 
playing  at  foot-ball,  but  which  terminated  in  an  incursion  upon  England.  At 
present,  the  foot-ball  is  often  played  by  the  inhabitants  of  adjacent  parishes,  or 
of  the  opposite  banks  of  a  stream.  The  victory  is  contested  with  the  utmost 
fury,  and  very  serious  accidents  have  sometimes  taken  place  in  the  struggle. 


122  THE  LAY  OF  [CANTO  V. 

Those  hands,  so  frankly  interchanged, 

Had  dyed  with  gore  the  green  : 
The  merry  shout  by  Teviot-side 
Had  sunk  in  war-cries  wikl  and  wide, 

And  in  the  groan  of  death  ; 
And  whingers,!  now  in  friendship  bare, 
The  social  meal  to  part  and  share. 

Had  found  a  bloody  sheath. 
'Twixt  truce  and  war,  such  sudden  change 
Was  not  infrequent,  nor  held  strange, 

In  the  old  Border-day  :  ~ 

1  A  sor  of  knife,  or  poniard. 

2  Notwithstanding  the  constant  wars  upon  the  Borders,  and  the  occasional 
cruelties  which  marked  the  mutual  inroads,  the  inhabitants  on  either  side  do 
not  appear  to  have  regarded  each  other  with  that  violent  and  personal  animos- 
ity, which  might  have  been  expected.  On  the  contrary,  like  the  outposts  of 
hostile  armies,  they  often  carried  on  something  resembling  friendly  intercourse, 
even  in  the  middle  of  hostilities ;  and  it  is  evident,  from  various  ordinances 
against  trade  and  intermarriages,  between  English  and  Scottish  Borderers,  that 
the  governments  of  both  countries  were  jealous  of  their  cherishing  too  intimate 
a  connection.  Froissart  says  of  both  nations,  that,  "  Englyshmen  on  the  one 
party,  and  Scottes  on  the  other  party,  are  good  men  of  warre ;  for  when  they 
meet,  there  is  a  harde  fight  without  sparynge.  There  is  no  hoo  \truce\  between 
them,  as  long  as  spears,  swords,  axes,  or  daggers,  will  endure,  but  lay  on  eche 
upon  uther ;  and  whan  they  be  well  beaten,  and  that  the  one  party  hath  ob- 
tained the  victory,  they  then  gloryfye  so  in  theyre  dedes  of  armies,  and  are  so 
joyfull,  that  such  as  be  taken  they  shall  be  ransomed,  or  that  they  go  out  of  the 
felde ;  so  that  shortly  eche  of  them  is  so  content  with  other,  that,  at  their  de- 
partynge,  curtyslye  they  will  say,  God  thank  you."  —  Berners's  Froissart,  vol. 
ii.  p.  153.  The  Border  meetings  of  truce  which,  although  places  of  merchan- 
dise and  merriment,  often  witnessed  the  most  bloody  scenes,  may  serve  to 
illustrate  the  description  in  the  text.  They  are  vividly  portrayed  in  the  old 
ballad  of  the  Reidsquair.  [See  Minstrelsy,  vol.  ii.  p.  15.]  Both  parties  came 
armed  to  a  meeting  of  the  wardens,  yet  they  intermixed  fearlessly  and  peacea- 
bly with  each  other  in  mutual  sports  and  familiar  intercourse,  until  a  casual 
fray  arose :  — 

"  Then  was  their  nought  but  bow  and  spear 
And  every  man  pulled  out  a  brand." 

In  the  29th  stanza  of  this  canto,  there  is  an  attempt  to  express  some  of  the 
mixed  feelings,  with  which  the  Borderers  on  each  side  were  led  to  regard  their 
neighbors. 


CANTO  v.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  123 

But  yet  on  Branksome's  towers  and  town, 
In  peaceful  merriment,  sunk  down 
The  sun's  declining  ray. 

VIII. 

The  blithsome  signs  of  wassail  gay 
Decay'd  not  with  the  dying  day ; 
Soon  through  the  latticed  windows  tall 
Of  lofty  Branksome's  lordly  hall, 
Divided  square  by  shafts  of  stone, 
Huge  flakes  of  ruddy  lustre  shone  ; 
Nor  less  the  gilded  rafters  rang 
With  merry  harp  and  beakers'  clang : 

And  frequent,  on  the  darkening  plain, 
Loud  hollo,  whoop,  or  whistle  ran. 

As  bands,  their  stragglers  to  regain. 

Give  the  shrill  watchword  of  their  clan  :  1 

1  Patten  remarks,  with  bitter  censure,  the  disorderly  conduct  of  the  English 
Borderers,  who  attended  the  Protector  Somerset  on  his  expedition  against 
Scotland.  "As  we  wear  then  a  selling,  and  the  tents  a  setting  up,  among  all 
things  els  commendable  in  our  hole  journey,  one  thing  seemed  to  me  an  intol- 
lerable  disorder  and  abuse:  that  whereas  always,  both  in  all  tounes  of  war,  and 
in  all  campes  of  armies,  quietness  and  stilnes,  without  nois,  is,  principally  in  the 
night,  after  the  watch  is  set,  observed,  (I  nede  not  reason  why,)  our  northern 
prikers,  the  Borderers,  notwithstandyng,  with  great  enormitie,  (as  thought  me,) 
and  not  unlike  (to  be  playn)  unto  a  masteries  hounde  howlying  in  a  hie  way 
when  he  hath  lost  him  he  waited  upon,  sum  hoopynge,  sum  whistling,  and 
most  with  crying,  A  Berwyke,  a  Berwyke  !  A  Fenwyke,  a  Fenwyke  !  A  Bulmer, 
a  Bulmer!  or  so  ootherwise  as  theyr  captains  names  wear,  never  lin'de  these 
troublous  and  dangerous  noyses  all  the  nyghte  longe.  They  said,  they  did  it 
to  find  their  captain  and  fellows;  but  if  the  souldiers  of  our  oother  countreys, 
and  sheres  had  used  the  same  maner,  in  that  case  we  should  have  oft  tymes 
had  the  state  of  our  campe  more  like  the  outrage  of  a  dissolute  huntyng,  than 
the  quiet  of  a  well  ordered  armye.  It  is  a  feat  of  war,  in  mine  opinion,  that 
might  well  be  left.  I  could  reherse  causes  (but  yf  I  take  it,  they  are  better  un- 
spoken than  uttered,  unless  the  faut  wear  sure  to  be  amended)  that  might  shew 
thei  move  alweis  more  peral  to  our  armie,  but  in  their  one  nyght's  so  doynge, 
than  they  shew  good  service  (as  some  sey)  in  a  hoole  vyage."  —  Apud  Dal- 
ZELL'S  Fragments,  p.  75. 


124  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  v. 

And  revellers,  o'er  their  bowls,  proclaim 
Douglas  or  Dacre's  conquering  name. 

IX. 

Less  frequent  heard,  and  fainter  still, 

At  length  the  various  clamors  died  : 
And  you  might  hear,  from  Branksome  hill. 

No  sound  but  Teviot's  rushing  tide  ; 
Save  when  the  changing  sentinel 
The  challenge  of  his  watch  could  tell  ; 
And  save,  where,  through  the  dark  profound, 
The  clanging  axe  and  hammer's  sound 

Rung  from  the  nether  lawn ; 
For  many  a  busy  hand  teil'd  there. 
Strong  pales  to  shape,  and  beams  to  square. ^ 
The  list's  dread  barriers  to  prepare 

Against  the  morrow's  dawn. 

X. 

Margaret  from  hall  did  soon  retreat, 

Despite  the  Dame's  reproving  eye  ; 
Nor  mark'd  she,  as  she  left  her  seat, 

Full  many  a  stifled  sigh  ; 
For  many  a  noble  warrior  strove 
To  win  the  flower  of  Teviot's  love, 

And  many  a  bold  ally.  — 
With  throbbing  head  and  anxious  heart. 
All  in  her  lonely  bov/er  apart, 

In  broken  sleep  she  lay  : 
By  times,  from  silken  couch  she  rose  ; 
While  yet  the  banner'd  hosts  repose, 

She  view'd  the  dawning  day  : 

1   [This  line  is  not  in  the  first  edition.] 


CANTO  v.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  1 25 

Of  all  the  hundreds  sunk  to  rest, 
First  woke  the  loveliest  and  the  best. 

xr. 

She  gazed  upon  the  inner  court, 

Which  in  the  tower's  tall  shadow  lay  ; 
Where  coursers'  clang,  and  stamp,  and  snort, 

Had  rung  the  livelong  yesterday  ; 
Now  still  as  death  ;  till  stalking  slow,  — 

The  jingling  spurs  announced  his  tread,  — 
A  stately  warrior  pass'd  below  ; 

But  when  he  raised  his  plumed  head  — 
Blessed  Mary  !  can  it  be  ? 
Secure,  as  if  in  Ousenam  bowers, 
He  walks  through  Branksome's  hostile  towers, 

With  fearless  step  and  free. 
She  dared  not  sign,  she  dared  not  speak  — 
Oh  !  if  one  page's  slumbers  break, 

His  blood  the  price  must  pay  ! 
Not  all  the  pearls  Queen  Mary  wears, 
Not  Margaret's  yet  more  precious  tears, 

Shall  buy  his  life  a  day. 

xn. 

Yet  was  his  hazard  small ;  for  well 
You  may  bethink  you  of  the  spell 

Of  that  sly  urchin  page  ; 
This  to  his  lord  he  did  impart. 
And  made  him  seem,  by  glamour  art, 

A  knight  from  Hermitage. 
Unchallenged  thus,  the  warder's  post. 
The  court,  unchallenged,  thus  he  cross'd. 

For  all  the  vassalage  : 
But  O  !  what  magic's  c^uaint  disguise 


126  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  v. 

Could  blind  fair  Margaret's  azure  eyes  ! 

She  started  from  her  seat ; 
\Vhile  with  surprise  and  fear  she  strove, 
And  both  could  scarcely  master  lov^e  — 

Lord  Henry's  at  her  feet. 

XIII. 
Oft  have  I  mused,  what  purpose  bad 
That  foul  malicious  urchin  had 

To  bring  this  meeting  round  ; 
For  happy  love's  a  heavenly  sight, 
And  by  a  vile  malignant  sprite 

In  such  no  joy  is  found  ; 
And  oft  I've  deem'd,  perchance  he  thought 
Their  erring  passion  might  have  wrought 

Sorrow,  and  sin,  and  shame  ; 
And  death  to  Cranstoun's  gallant  Knight, 
And  to  the  gentle  ladye  bright. 

Disgrace,  and  loss  of  fame. 
But  earthly  spirit  could  not  tell 
The  heart  of  them  that  loved  so  well. 
True  love's  the  gift  which  God  has  given 
To  man  alone  beneath  the  heaven  :• 

It  is  not  fantasy's  hot  fire. 

Whose  wishes,  soon  as  granted,  fly  ; 

It  liveth  not  in  fierce  desire. 

With  dead  desire  it  doth  not  die  ; 
It  is  the  secret  sympathy, 
The  silver  link,^  the  silken  tie, 

1   [In  the  first  edition,  "  the  silver  cord''  — 

"  Yes,  love,  indeed,  is  light  from  heaven, 
A  spark  of  that  immortal  fire 
With  angels  shared;  by  Alia  given 
To  lift  from  earth  our  low  desire,"  &c-. 

—  The  Giaonr.'\ 


CANTO  v.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  12  j 

Which  heart  to  heart,  and  mind  to  mind, 
In  body  and  in  soul  can  bind.  — 
Now  leave  we  Margaret  and  her  Knight, 
To  tell  you  of  the  approaching  fight. 

XIV. 

Their  warning  blasts  the  bugles  blew, 

The  pipe's  shrill  port^  aroused  each  clan; 

In  haste,  the  deadly  strife  to  view. 
The  trooping  warriors  eager  ran  : 

Thick  round  the  lists  their  lances  stood. 

Like  blasted  pines  in  Ettrick  wood  ; 

To  Branksome  many  a  look  they  threw, 

The  combatants'  approach  to  view. 

And  bandied  many  a  word  of  boast, 

About  the  knight  each  favor'd  most. 

XV. 

Meantime  full  anxious  was  the  Dame ; 
For  now  arose  disputed  claim. 
Of  who  should  fight  for  Deloraine, 
'Twixt  Harden  and  'twixt  Thirlestaine  ;- 
They  'gan  to  reckon  kin  and  rent, 
And  frowning  brow  on  brow  was  bent ; 

But  yet  not  long  the  strife  —  for,  lo  ! 
Himself,  the  Knight  of  Deloraine, 
Strong,  as  it  seem'd,  and  free  from  pain. 

In  armor  sheath'd  from  top  to  toe, 
Appear'd,  and  craved  the  combat  due. 

^  A  martial  piece  of  music,  adapted  to  the  bagpipes. 

2  [It  may  be  noticed  that  the  late  Lord  Napier,  the  representative  of  the 
Scotts  of  Thirlestane,  was  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Selkirkshire  (of  which  the  author 
was  Sheriff-depute)  at  the  time  when  the  poem  was  written  ;  the  competitor  for 
the  honor  of  supplying  Deloraine's  place  was  the  poet's  own  ancestor.  — Ed.] 


128  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  v. 

The  Dame  her  charm  successful  knew,^ 
And  the  fierce  chiefs  their  claims  withdrew. 

XVI. 

When  for  the  lists  they  sought  the  ])lain, 
The  stately  Ladye's  silken  rein 

Did  noble  Howard  hold  ; 
Unarmed  by  her  side  he  walk'd, 
And  much,  in  courteous  phrase,  they  talk'd 

Of  feats  of  arms  of  old. 
Costly  his  garb  —  his  Flemish  ruff 
Fell  o'er  his  doublet,  shaped  of  buff, 

With  satin  slash'd  and  lined  ; 
Tawny  his  boot,  and  gold  his  spur, 
His  cloak  was  all  of  Poland  fur, 

His  hose  with  silver  twined  ; 
His  Bilboa  blade,  by  March  men  felt. 
Hung  in  a  broad  and  studded  belt ; 
Hence,  in  rude  phrase,  the  Borderers  still 
Call'd  noble  Howard,  Belted  Will. 

xvn. 

Behind  Lord  Howard  and  the  Dame, 
Fair  Margaret  on  her  palfrey  came. 

Whose  foot-cloth  swept  the  ground  : 
White  was  her  wimple,  and  her  veil. 
And  her  loose  locks  a  chaplet  pale 

Of  whitest  roses  bound  ; 
The  lordly  Angus,  by  her  side, 
In  courtesy  to  cheer  her  tried  ; 
Without  his  aid,  her  hand  in  vain 
Had  strove  to  guide  her  broider'd  rein. 

1  See  Canto  3,  Stanza  xxiii. 


•  Behind  Loid  Howard  and  the  Dame 
Fair  Margaret  on  her  palfrey  came." 

Canto  v.  17. 


CANTO  v.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  129 

He  deem'd,  she  shudder'd  at  the  sight 
Of  warriors  met  for  mortal  fight ; 
But  cause  of  terror,  all  unguess'd, 
Was  fluttering  in  her  gentle  breast, 
When,  in  their  chairs  of  crimson  placed, 
The  Dame  and  she  the  barriers  graced. 

XVIII. 
Prize  of  the  field,  the  young  Buccleuch, 
An  English  knight  led  forth  to  view ; 
Scarce  rued  the  boy  his  present  plight, 
So  much  he  long'd  to  see  the  fight. 
Within  the  lists,  in  knightly  pride, 
High  Home  and  haughty  Dacre  ride; 
Their  leading  staffs  of  steel  they  wield, 
As  marshals  of  the  mortal  field ; 
While  to  each  knight  their  care  assign'd 
Like  vantage  of  the  sun  and  wind.^ 
Then  heralds  hoarse  did  loud  proclaim, 
In  King  and  Queen,  and  Warden's  name, 

That  none,  while  lasts  the  strife. 
Should  dare,  by  look,  or  sign,  or  word, 
Aid  to  a  champion  to  afford, 

On  peril  of  his  life  ; 
And  not  a  breath  the  silence  broke. 
Till  thus  the  alternate  Heralds  spoke  :  — 

XIX. 

ENGLISH    HERALD. 

"  Here  standeth  Richard  of  Musgrave, 

Good  knight  and  true,  and  freely  born, 
Amends  from  Deloraine  to  crave, 

1   [This  couplet  was  added  in  the  second  edition.] 


I30 


THE  LAV  OF  [canto  v. 

For  foul  despiteous  scathe  and  scorn. 
He  sayeth,  that  William  of  Deloraine 

Is  traitor  false  by  Border  laws  ; 
This  with  his  sword  he  will  maintain, 

So  help  him  God,  and  his  good  cause  !  " 

XX. 

SCOn-ISH    HERALD. 

"  Here  standeth  William  of  Deloraine, 
Good  knight  and  true,  of  noble  strain, 
Who  sayeth,  that  foul  treason's  stain, 

Since  he  bore  arms,  ne'er  soil'd  his  coat ; 
And  that,  so  help  him  God  above  ! 
He  will  on  Musgrave's  body  prove, 
He  lies  most  foully  in  his  throat."  — 

LORD   DACRE. 

"  Forward,  brave  champions,  to  the  fight  ! 
Sound  trumpets  !  " 

LORD    HOME. 

"God  defend  the  right !"  — i 


Then,  Teviot  !  how  thine  echoes  rang, 
When  bugle-sound  and  trumpet-clang 

Let  loose  the  martial  foes. 
And  in  mid  list,  with  shield  poised  high, 
And  measured  step  and  wary  eye, 

The  combatants  did  close. 

XXI. 

Ill  would  it  suit  your  gentle  ear, 
Ye  lovely  listeners,  to  hear 

[After  this,  in  the  first  edition,  we  read  only, 

"  At  the  last  words,  with  deadly  blows, 
The  ready  warriors  fiercely  close."  —  Ed.] 


CANTO  v.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  131 

How  to  the  axe  the  helms  did  sound, 

And  blood  pour'd  down  from  many  a  wound ; 

For  desperate  was  the  strife  and  long, 

And  either  warrior  fierce  and  strong. 

But,  were  each  dame  a  listening  knight, 

I  welt  could  tell  how  warriors  fight ! 

For  I  have  seen  war's  lightning  flashing, 

Seen  the  claymore  with  bayonet  clashing, 

Seen  through  red  blood  the  war-horse  dashing, 

And  scorn'd,  amid  the  reeling  strife, 

To  yield  a  step  for  death  or  life.  — 

XXII. 
'Tis  done,  'tis  done  !  that  fatal  blow  ^ 
Has  stretch'd  him  on  the  bloody  plain  ; 
He  strives  to  rise  —  Brave  Musgrave,  no  ! 
Thence  never  shalt  thou  rise  again  ! 
He  chokes  in  blood  —  some  friendly  hand 
Undo  the  visor's  barred  band, 
Unfix  the  gorget's  iron  clasp. 
And  give  him  room  for  life  to  gasp  !  — 
O,  bootless  aid  !  —  haste,  holy  Friar ,- 
Haste,  ere  the  sinner  shall  expire  ! 
Of  all  his  guilt  let  him  be  shriven, 
And  smooth  his  path  from  earth  to  heaven  ! 

XXIII. 

In  haste  the  holy  Friar  sped  ;  — 
His  naked  foot  was  dyed  with  red, 

1  ["  The  whole  scene  of  the  duel,  or  judicial  combat,  is  conducted  according 
to  the  strictest  ordinances  of  cliivalry,  and  delineated  with  all  the  minuteness  of 
an  ancient  romancer.  The  modern  reader  will  probably  find  it  rather  tedious ; 
all  but  the  concluding  stanzas,  which  are  in  a  loftier  measure —  '  'Tis  done,  'tis 
done ! '  &c."  —  Jeffrey.] 

2  [First  edition,  " //^  fa/« — In  vain!   haste,  holy  Friar."] 


132  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  v. 

As  through  the  lists  he  ran  ; 
Unmindful  of  the  shouts  on  high, 
That  hail'd  the  conqueror's  victory, 

He  raised  the  dying  man  ; 
Loose  waved  his  silver  beard  and  hair. 
As  o'er  him  he  kneel'd  down  in  prayer ; 
And  still  the  crucifix  on  high 
He  holds  before  his  darkening  eye ; 
And  still  he  bends  an  anxious  ear. 
His  faltering  penitence  to  hear  ; 

Still  props  him  from  the  bloody  sod, 
Still,  even  when  soul  and  body  part. 
Pours  ghostly  comfort  on  his  heart, 

And  bids  him  trust  in  God  ! 
Unheard  he  prays  ;  —  the  death-pang's  o'er  !  ^ 
Richard  of  Musgrave  breathes  no  more. 

XXIV. 

As  if  exhausted  in  the  fight. 

Or  musing  o'er  the  piteous  sight. 

The  silent  victor  stands  ; 
His  beaver  did  he  not  unclasp, 
Mark'd  not  the  shouts,  felt  not  the  grasp 

Of  gratulating  hands. 
When  lo  !  strange  cries  of  wild  surprise, 
Mingled  with  seeming  terror,  rise 

Among  the  Scottish  bands  ; 
And  all,  amid  the  throng'd  array. 
In  panic  haste  gave  open  way 
To  a  half-naked  ghastly  man. 
Who  downward  from  the  castle  ran  ; 
He  cross'd  the  barriers  at  a  bound, 

1    [  Orig.  —  "  Unheard  he  prays ;  —  'tis  o'er,  'tis  o'er  !  "] 


And  wild  and  haggard  look'd  around, 
As  dizzy  and  in  paiu." 

Canto  v.  24. 


CANTO  v.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  133 

And  wild  and  haggard  look'd  around, 
As  dizzy,  and  in  pain  ; 

And  all,  upon  the  armed  ground, 
Knew  William  of  Deloraine  ! 
Each  ladye  sprung  from  seat  with  speed ; 
Vaulted  each  marshal  from  his  steed ; 

"  And  who  art  thou,"  they  cried, 
"  Who  hast  this  battle  fought  and  won  ?  "  — 
His  plumed  helm  was  soon  undone  — 

"  Cranstoun  of  Teviot-side  ! 
For  this  fair  prize  I've  fought  and  won,"  — 
And  to  the  Ladye  led  her  son. 

XXV. 

Full  oft  the  rescued  boy  she  kiss'd. 
And  often  press'd  him  to  her  breast  ; 
For,  under  all  her  dauntless  show. 
Her  heart  had  throbb'd  at  every  blow ; 
Yet  not  Lord  Cranstoun  deign'd  she  greet, 
Though  low  he  kneeled  at  her  feet. 
Me  lists  not  tell  what  words  were  made. 
What  Douglas,  Home,  and  Howard,  said  — 

—  For  Howard  was  a  generous  foe  — 
And  how  the  clan  united  pray'd 

The  Ladye  would  the  feud  forego, 
And  deign  to  bless  the  nuptial  hour 
Of  Cranstoun's  Lord  and  Teviot's  Flower. 

XXVL 
She  look'd  to  river,  look'd  to  hill. 

Thought  on  the  Spirit's  prophecy. 
Then  broke  her  silence  stern  and  still,  — 

"  Not  you,  but  Fate,  has  vanquish'd  me  ; 
Their  influence  kindly  stars  may  shower 


,34  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  v. 

On  Teviot's  tide  and  Branksome's  tower, 

For  pride  is  quell'd,  and  love  is  free."  — 
She  took  fair  Margaret  by  the  hand, 
Who,  breathless,  trembling,  scarce  might  stand  : 

That  hand  to  Cranstoun's  lord  gave  she  :  — 
"  As  I  am  true  to  thee  and  thine, 
Do  thou  be  true  to  me  and  mine  ! 

This  clasp  of  love  our  bond  shall  be  : 
For  this  is  your  betrothing  day. 
And  all  these  noble  lords  shall  stay, 

To  grace  it  with  their  company."  — 

XXVII. 

All  as  they  left  the  listed  plain, 

Much  of  the  story  she  did  gain  ; 

How  Cranstoun  fought  with  Deloraine, 

And  of  his  page,  and  of  the  Book 

Which  from  the  wounded  knight  he  took; 

And  how  he  sought  her  castle  high, 

That  morn,  by  help  of  gramarye  ; 

How,  in  Sir  William's  armor  dight, 

Stolen  by  his  page,  while  slept  the  knight. 

He  took  on  him  the  single  fight. 

But  half  his  tale  he  left  unsaid, 

And  hnger'd  till  he  join'd  the  maid.  — 

Cared  not  the  Ladye  to  betray 

Her  mystic  arts  in  view  of  day  ; 

But  well  she  thought,  ere  midnight  came, 

Of  that  strange  page  the  pride  to  tame, 

From  his  foul  hands  the  Book  to  save. 

And  send  it  back  to  Michael's  grave.  — 

Needs  not  to  tell  each  tender  word 

'Twixt  Margaret  and  'twixt  Cranstoun's  lord ; 


CANTO  v.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


135 


Nor  how  she  told  of  former  woes, 

And  how  her  bosom  fell  and  rose, 

While  he  and  Musgrave  bandied  blows.  — 

Needs  not  these  lovers'  joys  to  tell : 

One  day,  fair  maids,  you'll  know  them  well. 

XXVIII. 

William  of  Deloraine,  some  chance 
Had  waken'd  from  his  deathlike  trance  ; 

And  taught  that,  in  the  listed  plain. 
Another,  in  his  arms  and  shield. 
Against  fierce  Musgrave  axe  did  wield, 

Under  the  name  of  Deloraine. 
Hence,  to  the  field,  unarm'd,  he  ran. 
And  hence  his  presence  scared  the  clan, 
Who  held  him  for  some  fleeting  wraith, ^ 
And  not  a  man  of  blood  and  breath. 

Not  much  this  new  ally  he  loved, 

Yet,  when  he  saw  what  hap  had  proved, 
He  greeted  him  right  heartilie  : 
He  would  not  waken  old  debate, 
For  he  was  void  of  rancorous  hate. 

Though  rude,  and  scant  of  courtesy  ; 
In  raids  he  spilt  but  seldom  blood, 
Unless  when  men-at-arms  withstood. 
Or,  as  was  meet,  for  deadly  feud. 
He  ne'er  bore  grudge  for  stalwart  blow, 
Ta'en  in  fair  fight  from  gallant  foe  : 

And  so  'twas  seen  of  him,  e'en  now. 

When  on  dead  Musgrave  he  look'd  down  ; 

Grief  darken'd  on  his  rugged  brow, 
Though  half  disguised  with  a  fiown  ; 

1  The  spectral  apparition  of  a  living  person. 


136  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  v. 

And  thus,  while  sorrow  bent  his  head, 
His  foeman's  epitaph  lie  made. 

XXIX. 

"Now,  Richard  Musgrave,  liest  thou  here  ! 

I  ween,  my  deadly  enemy ; 
For,  if  I  slew  thy  brother  dear, 

Thou  slevv'st  a  sister's  son  to  me  ; 
And  when  I  lay  in  dungeon  dark. 

Of  Naworth  Castle,  long  months  three. 
Till  ransom'd  for  a  thousand  mark. 

Dark  Musgrave,  it  was  long  of  thee. 
And,  Musgrave,  could  our  fight  be  tried, 

And  thou  wert  now  alive,  as  I, 
No  mortal  man  should  us  divide, 

Till  one,  or  both  of  us,  did  die  : 
Yet  rest  thee  God  !  for  well  I  know 
I  ne'er  shall  find  a  nobler  foe. 
In  all  the  nortliern  counties  here. 
Whose  word  is  Snaffle,  spur,  and  spear,' 
Thou  wert  the  best  to  follow  gear  ! 
'Twas  pleasure,  as  we  look'd  behind. 
To  see  how  thou  the  chase  could'st  wind. 
Cheer  the  dark  blood-hound  on  his  way, 
And  with  the  bugle  rouse  the  fray  I  ~ 

^  "  The  lands,  that  over  Ouse  to  Berwick  forth  do  bear, 

Have  for  their  blazon  had,  the  snaffle,  spur,  and  spear." 

—  Poly-Albion,  Song  13. 

-  The  pursuit  of  Border  marauders  was  followed  by  the  injured  party  and 
his  friends  with  blood-hounds  and  bugle-horn,  and  was  called  the  hot-trod.  He 
was  entitled,  if  his  dog  could  trace  the  scent,  to  follow  the  invaders  into  the 
opposite  kingdom;  a  privilege  which  often  occasioned  bloodshed.  In  addi- 
tion to  what  has  been  said  of  the  blood-hound,  I  may  add,  that  the  breed  was 
kept  up  by  the  Buccleuch  family  on  their  Border  estates  till  within  the  i8th  cen- 
tury.   A  person  was  alive  in  the  memory  of  man,  who  remembered  a  blood- 


CANTO  v.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  137 

I'd  give  the  lands  of  Deloraine, 
Dark  Musgrave  were  alive  again."  —  ' 

XXX. 

So  mourn'd  he,  till  Lord  Dacre's  band 
Were  bowning  back  to  Cumberland. 
They  raised  brave  Musgrave  from  the  field, 
And  laid  him  on  his  bloody  shield ; 
On  levell'd  lances,  four  and  four, 
By  turns,  the  noble  burden  bore. 
Before,  at  times,  upon  the  gale. 
Was  heard  the  Minstrel's  plaintive  wail ; 
Behind,  four  priests,  in  sable  stole, 
Sung  requiem  for  the  warrior's  soul : 
Around,  the  horsemen  slowly  rode ; 
With  trailing  pikes  the  spearmen  trode  ; 
And  thus  the  gallant  knight  they  bore, 

hound  being  kept  at  Eldinhope,  in  Ettrick  Forest,  for  whose  maintenance  the 
tenant  had  an  allowance  of  meal.  At  that  time  the  sheep  were  always  watched 
at  night.  Upon  one  occasion,  when  the  duty  had  fallen  on  the  narrator,  then  a 
lad,  he  became  exhausted  with  fatigue,  and  fell  asleep  upon  a  bank,  near  sun- 
rising.  Suddenly  he  was  awakened  by  the  tread  of  horses,  and  saw  five  men, 
well  mounted  and  armed,  ride  briskly  over  the  edge  of  the  hill.  They  stopped 
and  looked  at  the  flock ;  but  the  day  was  too  far  broken  to  admit  the  chance  of 
their  carrvir^  any  of  them  off.  One  of  them,  in  spite,  leaped  from  his  horse, 
and  coming  to  the  shepherd,  seized  him  by  the  belt  he  wore  round  his  waist; 
and,  setting  his  foot  upon  his  body,  pulled  it  till  it  broke,  and  carried  it  away 
with  him.  They  rode  off  at  the  gallop ;  and  the  shepherd  giving  the  alarm, 
the  blood-hound  was  turned  loose  and  the  people  in  the  neighborhood  alarmed. 
The  marauders,  however,  escaped,  notwithstanding  a  sharp  pursuit.  This  cir- 
cumstance serves  to  show  how  very  long  the  license  of  the  Borderers  continued 
in  some  degree  to  manifest  itself. 

1  [The  style  of  the  old  romancers  has  been  very  successfully  imitated  in  the 
whole  of  this  scene ;  and  the  speech  of  Deloraine,  who,  roused  from  his  bed 
of  sickness,  rushes  into  the  lists,  and  apostrophizes  his  fallen  enemy,  brought 
to  our  recollection,  as  well  from  tlie  peculiar  turn  of  expression  in  its  commence- 
ment as  in  the  tone  of  sentiments  which  it  conveys,  some  of  \\\e  funebrcs  ora- 
tiones  of  the  Mort  Arthur!'  —  Critical  Review^ 


138     THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.       [canto  v.] 

Through  Liddesdale  to  Leven's  shore ; 
Thence  to  Hohne  Coltrame's  lofty  nave, 
And  laid  \\\\\\  in  his  father's  grave. 


The  harp's  wild  notes,  though  hush'd  the  song. 

The  mimic  march  of  death  prolong  ; 

Now  seems  it  far,  and  now  a-near, 

Now  meets,  and  now  eludes  the  ear ; 

Now  seems  some  mountain  side  to  sweep. 

Now  faintly  dies  in  valley  deep  ; 

Seems  now  as  if  the  Minstrel's  wail, 

Now  the  sad  requiem,  loads  the  gale ; 

Last,  o'er  the  warrior's  closing  grave. 

Rung  the  full  choir  in  choral  stave. 

After  due  pause,  they  bade  him  tell, 
Why  he,  who  touch'd  the  harp  so  well, 
Should  thus,  with  ill-rewarded  toil. 
Wander  a  poor  and  thankless  soil, 
When  the  more  generous  Southern  Land 
Would  well  requite  his  skilful  hand. 

The  Aged  Harper,  howsoe'er 
His  only  friend,  his  harp,  was  dear. 
Liked  not  to  hear  it  ranked  so  high 
Above  his  flowing  poesy  : 
Less  liked  he  still,  that  scornful  jeer 
Misprised  the  land  he  loved  so  tlear ; 
High  was  the  sound,  as  thus  again 
The  Bard  resumed  his  minstrel  strain. 


®ant0  MxtU, 


I. 

Breathes  there  the  man,  with  soul  so  dead, 
Who  never  to  himself  hath  said, 

This  is  my  own,  my  native  land  ! 
Whose  heart  hath  ne'er  within  him  burn'd. 
As  home  his  footsteps  he  hath  turn'd, 

From  wandering  on  a  foreign  strand  ! 
If  such  there  breathe,  go,  mark  him  well ; 
For  him  no  Minstrel  raptures  swell ; 
High  though  his  titles,  proud  his  name, 
Boundless  his  wealth  as  wish  can  claim  ; 
Despite  those  titles,  power,  and  pelf, 
The  wretch,  concentred  all  in  self. 
Living,  shall  forfeit  fair  renown. 
And,  doubly  dying,  shall  go  down 
To  the  vile  dust,  from  whence  he  sprung, 
Unwept,  unhonor'd,  and  unsung. 

II. 

O  Caledonia  !  stern  and  wild. 

Meet  nurse  for  a  poetic  child  ! 

Land  of  brown  heath  and  shaggy  wood, 

Land  of  the  mountain  and  the  flood, 

Land  of  my  sires  !  what  mortal  hand 

Can  e'er  untie  the  filial  band. 

That  knits  me  to  thy  rugged  strand  ! 


140 


THE  LAY  OF  [canto  vi. 


Still,  as  I  view  each  well-known  scene, 

Think  what  is  now,  and  wliat  hath  been, 

Seems  as,  to  me,  of  all  bereft, 

Sole  friends  thy  woods  and  streams  were  left ; 

And  thus  I  love  them  better  still, 

Even  in  extremity  of  ill. 

By  Yarrow's  streams  still  let  me  stray. 

Though  none  should  guide  my  feeble  way, 

Still  feel  the  breeze  down  Ettrick  break, 

Although  it  chill  my  wither'd  cheek ; 

Still  lay  my  head  by  Teviot  Stone,i 

Though  there,  forgotten  and  alone, 

The  Bard  may  draw  his  parting  groan. 

III. 

Not  scorn'd  like  me  !  to  Branksome  Hall 
The  Minstrels  came,  at  festive  call ; 
Trooping  they  came,  from  near  and  far, 
The  jovial  priests  of  mirth  and  war  ; 
Alike  for  feast  and  fight  prepared, 
Battle  and  banquet  both  they  shared. 
Of  late,  before  each  martial  clan, 
They  blew  their  death-note  in  the  van, 
But  now,  for  every  merry  mate, 
Rose  the  portcullis'  iron  grate  ; 
They  sound  the  pipe,  they  strike  the  string. 
They  dance,  they  revel,  and  they  sing. 
Till  the  rude  turrets  shake  and  ring. 

IV. 

Me  lists  not  at  this  tide  declare 
The  splendor  of  the  spousal  rite, 

1   [The  line  "  Still  lay  my  head"  &c.,  was  not  in  the  first  edition.  —  ED.] 


CANTO  VI.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  141 

How  muster'd  in  the  chapel  fair, 

Both  maid  and  matron,  squire  and  knight. 
Me  Hsts  not  tell  of  owches  rare, 
Of  mantles  green,  and  braided  hair. 
And  kirtles  furr'd  with  miniver  ; 
What  plumage  waved  the  altar  round, 
How  spurs  and  ringing  chainlets  sound  : 
And  hard  it  were  for  bard  to  speak 
The  changeful  hue  of  Margaret's  cheek ; 
That  lovely  hue  which  comes  and  flies, 
As  awe  and  shame  alternate  rise  ! 

V. 

Some  bards  have  sung,  the  Ladye  high 
Chapel  or  altar  came  not  nigh ; 
Nor  durst  the  rites  of  spousal  grace. 
So  much  she  fear'd  each  holy  place. 
False  slanders  these  :  —  I  trust  right  well 
She  wrought  not  by  forbidden  spell ;  ^ 
For  mighty  words  and  signs  have  power 
O'er  sprites  in  planetary  hour  : 
Yet  scarce  I  praise  their  venturous  part, 
Who  tamper  with  such  dangerous  art. 
But  this  for  faithful  truth  I  say. 

The  Ladye  by  the  altar  stood. 
Of  sable  velvet  her  array, 

And  on  her  head  a  crimson  hood. 
With  pearls  embroider'd  and  entwined. 
Guarded  with  gold,  with  ermine  lined  ; 
A  merlin  sat  upon  her  wrist,- 
Held  by  a  leash  of  silken  twist. 

1  [See  Appendix,  Note  H  2.] 

2  A   merlin,  or  sparrow-hawk,  was  actually  carried  by  ladies  of  rank,  as  a 
falcon  was,  in  time  of  peace,  the  constant  attendant  of  a  knight  or  baron.    See 


142  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  vi. 


VI. 

The  spousal  rites  were  ended  soon  : 
'Tvvas  now  the  merry  hour  of  noon. 
And  in  the  lofty  arched  hall 
Was  spread  the  gorgeous  festival. 
Steward  and  squire,  with  heedful  haste, 
Marshall'd  the  rank  of  every  guest ; 
Pages,  with  ready  blade,  were  there, 
The  mighty  meal  to  carve  and  share  : 
O'er  capon,  heron-shew,  and  crane, 
And  princely  peacock's  gilded  train, ^ 
And  o'er  the  boar-head,  garnish'd  brave,- 
And  cygnet  from  St.  Mary's  wave  ;  ^ 
O'er  ptarmigan  and  venison, 

Latham  on  Falcomy.  —  Godscroft  relates,  that  wlien  Mary  of  Lorraine  was 
regent,  she  pressed  the  Earl  of  Angus  to  admit  a  royal  garrison  into  his  Castle 
of  Tantallon.  To  this  he  returned  no  direct  answer;  but,  as  if  apostrophizing 
a  goss-hawk,  which  sat  on  his  wrist,  and  which  he  was  feeding  during  the 
Queen's  speech,  he  exclaimed,  "  The  devil's  in  this  greedy  glede,  she  will  never 
be  full." — Hume's  History  of  the  House  of  Douglas,  1743,  vol.  ii.  p.  131. 
Barclay  complains  of  the  common  and  indecent  practice  of  bringing  hawks 
and  hounds  into  churches. 

1  The  peacock,  it  is  well  known,  was  considered,  during  the  times  of  chivalry, 
not  merely  as  an  exquisite  delicacy,  but  as  a  dish  of  peculiar  solemnity.  After 
being  roasted,  it  was  again  decorated  with  its  plumage,  and  a  sponge,  dipped  in 
lighted  spirits  of  wine,  was  placed  in  its  bill.  When  it  was  introduced  on  days 
of  grand  festival,  it  was  the  signal  for  the  adventurous  knights  to  take  upon 
them  vows  to  do  some  deed  of  chivalry,  "  before  the  peacock  and  the  ladies." 

"  The  boar's  head  was  also  a  usual  dish  of  feudal  splendor.  In  Scotland  it 
was  sometimes  surrounded  with  little  banners,  displaying  the  colors  and  achiev- 
ments  of  the  baron  at  whose  board  it  was  served.  —  Pinkerton'S  History, 
vol.  i.  p.  432. 

3  There  are  often  flights  of  wild  swans  upon  St.  Mary's  Lake,  at  the  head  of 
the  river  Yarrow.* 

*  [  See  Wordsworth's  Yarro^v  visited, — 

"  The  Sw.in  on  still  St.  Mary's  Lake 
Floats  double,  Swan  and  shadow."  —  Ed.] 


CANTO  VI.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  143 

The  priest  had  spoke  his  benison. 

Then  rose  the  riot  and  the  din, 

Above,  beneath,  without,  within  ! 

For,  from  the  lofty  balcony, 

Rung  trumpet,  shalm,  and  psaltery  : 

Their  clanging  bowls  old  warriors  quaffd. 

Loudly  they  spoke,  and  loudly  laugh 'd  ; 

VVhisper'd  young  knights,  in  tone  more  mild, 

To  ladies  fair,  and  ladies  smiled. 

The  hooded  hawks,  high  perch'd  on  beam, 

The  clamor  join'd  with  whistling  scream. 

And  flapp'd  their  wings,  and  shook  their  bells, 

In  concert  with  the  stag-hounds'  yells. 

Round  go  the  flasks  of  ruddy  wine. 

From  Bourdeaux,  Orleans,  or  the  Rhine  ; 

Their  tasks  the  busy  sewers  ply, 

And  all  is  mirth  and  revelry. 

VII. 

The  Goblin  Page,  omitting  still 

No  opportunity  of  ill. 

Strove  now,  while  blood  ran  hot  and  high, 

To  rouse  debate  and  jealousy  ; 

Till  Conrad,  Lord  of  Wolfenstein, 

By  nature  fierce,  and  warm  with  wine, 

And  now  in  humor  highly  cross'd, 

About  some  steeds  his  band  had  lost. 

High  words  to  words  succeeding  still. 

Smote,  with  his  gauntlet,  stout  Hunthill ; ' 

1  The  Rutherfords  of  Hunthill  were  an  ancient  race  of  Border  Lairds,  whose 
names  occur  in  histor)',  sometimes  as  defending  the  frontier  against  the  English, 
sometimes  as  disturbing  the  peace  of  their  own  country.  Dickon  Draw-the- 
sword  was  son  to  the  ancient  warrior,  called  in  tradition  the  Cock  of  Hunthill, 
remarkable  for  leading  into  battle  nine  sons,  gallant  warriors,  all  sons  of  the 


144  '^^^    ^^^    ^^^  [CANTO  VI. 

A  hot  and  hardy  Rutherford, 

Whom  men  called  Dickon  Draw-the-sword. 

He  took  it  on  the  page's  saye, 

Hunthill  had  driven  these  steeds  away. 

Then  Howard,  Home,  and  Douglas  rose,   ' 

The  kindling  discord  to  compose  : 

Stern  Rutherford  right  little  said, 

But  bit  his  glove,i  and  shook  his  head. — 

A  fortnight  thence,  in  Ingle  wood, 

Stout  Conrade,  cold,  and  drench'd  in  blood, 

His  bosom  gored  with  many  a  wound, 

Was  by  a  woodman's  lyme-dog  found  ; 

Unknown  the  manner  ©f  his  death. 

Gone  was  his  brand,  both  sword  and  sheath  ; 

But  ever  from  that  time,  'twas  said. 

That  Dickon  wore  a  Cologne  blade. 

VHI. 

The  dwarf,  who  fear'd  his  master's  eye 
Might  his  foul  treachery  espie, 

aged  champion.  Mr.  Rutherford,  late  of  New  York,  in  a  letter  to  the  editor, 
soon  after  these  .songs  were  first  published,  quoted,  when  upwards  of  eighty 
years  old,  a  ballad,  apparently  the  same  with  the  Raid  of  the  Reidsquare,  but 
which  apparently  is  lost,  except  the  following  lines :  — 

"  Bauld  Rutherfurd  he  was  fu'  stout, 
With  all  his  nine  sons  him  about. 
He  brought  the  lads  of  Jedbrught  out, 
And  bauldly  fought  that  day." 

1  To  bite  the  thumb,  or  the  glove,  seems  not  to  have  been  considered,  upon 
the  Border,  as  a  gesture  of  contempt,  though  so  used  by  Shakspeare,  but  as  a 
pledge  of  mortal  revenge.  It  is  yet  remembered,  that  a  young  gentleman  of 
Teviotdale,  on  the  morning  after  a  hard  drinking-bout,  observed  that  he  had 
bitten  his  glove.  He  instantly  demanded  of  his  companion,  with  whom  he  had 
quarrelled,  and  learning  that  he  had  had  words  with  one  of  the  party,  in- 
sisted on  instant  satisfaction,  asserting,  that  though  he  remembered  nothing  of 
the  dispute,  yet  he  was  sure  he  never  would  have  bit  his  glove  unless  he  had 
received  some  unpardonable  insult.  He  fell  in  the  duel,  which  was  fought  near 
Selkirk,  in  1721. 


CANTO  vr.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  145 

Now  sought  the  castle  buttery, 
Where  many  a  yeoman,  bold  and  free, 
Revell'd  as  merrily  and  well 
As  those  that  sat  in  lordly  selle. 
Watt  Tinlinn,  there,  did  frankly  raise 
The  pledge  to  Arthur  Fire-the-Braes  ;  ^ 
And  he,  as  by  his  breeding  bound, 
To  Howard's  merry-raen  sent  it  round. 
To  quit  them,  on  the  English  side, 
Red  Roland  Forster  loudly  cried, 
"  A  deep  carouse  to  yon  fair  bride  !  "  — 
At  every  pledge,  from  vat  and  pail, 
Foam'd  forth  in  floods  the  nut-brown  ale  ; 
While  shout  the  riders  every  one  ; 
Such  day  of  mirth  ne'er  cheer'd  their  clan. 
Since  old  Buccleuch  the  name  did  gain, 
When  in  the  cleuch  the  buck  was  ta'cn.^ 

IX. 

The  wily  page,  with  vengeful  thought, 

Remember'd  him  of  Tinlinn's  yew. 
And  swore,  it  should  be  dearly  bought 

That  ever  he  the  arrow  drew. 
First,  he  the  yeoman  did  molest, 
With  bitter  gibe  and  taunting  jest  ; 
Told,  how  he  fled  at  Solvvay  strife, 
And  how  Hob  Armstrong  cheer'd  his  wife  ; 
Then,  shunning  still  his  powerful  arm. 
At  unawares  he  wrought  him  harm  ; 
From  trencher  stole  his  choicest  cheer, 

1  The  person  bearing  this  redoubtable  tiom  de  guerre  was  an  Elliot,  and 
resided  at  Thorleshope,  in  Liddesdale.  He  occurs  in  the  list  of  Border  riders, 
in  1597. 

2  [See  Appendix,  Note  I  2.] 


146  THE  LAV  OF  [canto  vi. 

Dash'd  from  his  lips  his  can  of  beer  ; 

Then,  to  his  knee  sly  creeping  on, 

With  bodkin  pierced  him  to  the  bone  : 

The  venom'd  wound,  and  festering  joint, 

Long  after  rued  that  bodkin's  point. 

The  startled  yeoman  swore  and  spurn 'd, 

And  board  and  flagons  overturn'd. 

Riot  and  clamor  wild  began  ; 

Back  to  the  hall  the  Urchin  ran ; 

Took  in  a  darkling  nook  his  post, 

And  grinn'd,  and  mutter'd,  '•'  Lost !  lost  !  lost ! "  ' 

X. 

By  this,  the  Dame,  lest  farther  fray 
Should  mar  the  concord  of  the  day, 
Had  bid  the  Minstrels  tune  their  lay. 
And  first  stept  forth  old  Albert  Grseme, 
The  Minstrel  of  that  ancient  name  :  - 


1  ["The  appearance  and  dress  of  the  company  assembled  in  the  chapel,  and 
the  description  of  the  subsequent  feast,  in  which  the  hounds  and  hawks  are  not 
the  least  important  personages  of  the  drama,  are  again  happy  imitations  of 
those  authors,  from  whose  rich  but  unpolished  ore  Mr.  Scott  has  wrought 
much  of  his  most  exquisite  imagery  and  description.  A  society,  such  as  that 
assembled  in  Branxholm  Castle,  inflamed  with  national  prejudices,  and  heated 
with  wine,  seems  to  have  contained  in  itself  sufficient  seeds  of  spontaneous  dis- 
order ;  but  the  goblin  page  is  well  introduced,  as  applying  a  torch  to  this  mass 
of  combustibles.  Quarrels,  highly  characteristic  of  Border  manners,  both  in 
their  cause  and  the  manner  in  which  they  are  supported,  ensue,  as  well  among 
the  lordly  guests,  as  the  yeomen  assembled  in  the  buttery." —  Critical  Review, 
1805.] 

2  "John  Grahame,  second  son  of  Malice,  Earl  of  Monteith,  commonly  sir- 
named  John  ivith  the  Bright  Sword,  upon  some  displeasure  risen  against  him 
at  court,  retired  with  many  of  his  clan  and  kindred  into  the  English  Borders,  in 
the  reign  of  King  Henry  the  Fourth,  where  they  seated  themselves :  and  many 
of  their  posterity  have  continued  there  ever  since.  Mr.  Sandford,  speaking  ol 
them,  says  (which  indeed  was  applicable  to  most  of  the  Borderers  on  both 
sides) , '  They  were  all  stark  moss-troopers,  and  arrant  thieves :  Both  to  Eng- 


CANTO  VI.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  i^y 

Was  none  who  struck  the  harp  so  well, 

Within  the  Land  Debateable  ; 

Well  friended,  too,  his  hardy  kin. 

Whoever  lost,  were  sure  to  win ; 

They  sought  the  beeves  that  made  their  broth, 

In  Scotland  and  in  England  both. 

In  homely  guise,  as  nature  bade, 

His  simple  song  the  Borderer  said. 

XI. 

ALBERT    GR^ME.* 

It  was  an  English  Ladye  bright, 

(The  sun  shines  fair  on  Carlisle  wall,2) 

land  and  Scotland  outlawed ;  yet  sometimes  connived  at,  because  they  give 
intelligence  forth  of  Scotland,  and  would  raise  400  horse  at  any  time  upon  a 
raid  of  the  English  into  Scotland.  A  saying  is  recorded  of  a  mother  to  her 
son  (which  is  now  become  proverbial),  J?id£,  Rowley,  hough's  i'  the  pot :  that  is, 
the  last  piece  of  beef  was  in  the  pot,  and  therefore  it  was  high  time  for  him  to  go 
and  fetch  more. '  "  —  Introduction  to  the  History  of  Cumberland. 

The  residence  of  Graemes  being  chiefly  in  the  Debateable  Land,  so  called 
because  it  was  claimed  by  both  kingdoms,  their  depredations  extended  both  to 
England  and  Scotland,  with  impunity;  for  as  both  wardens  accounted  them 
the  proper  subjects  of  their  own  prince,  neither  inclined  to  demand  reparation 
for  their  excesses  from  the  opposite  officers,  which  would  have  been  an  ac- 
knowledgment of  his  jurisdiction  over  them. —  See  a  long  correspondence  on 
this  subject  betwixt  Lord  Dacre  and  the  English  Privy  Council,  in  Introduction 
to  History  of  Cumberland.  The  Debateable  Land  was  finally  divided  betwixt 
England  and  Scotland,  by  commissioners  appointed  by  both  nations.* 
*  [See  various  notes  in  the  Minstrelsy.] 

1  ["  It  is  the  author's  object,  in  these  songs,  to  exemplify  the  different  styles  of 
ballad  narrative  which  prevailed  in  this  island  at  different  periods,  or  in  differ- 
ent conditions  of  society.  The  first  (ALBERT'S)  is  conducted  upon  the  rude 
and  simple  model  of  the  old  Border  ditties,  and  produces  its  effect  by  the  direct 
and  concise  narrative  of  a  tragical  occurrence."  —  JEFFREY.] 

-  This  burden  is  adopted,  with  some  alteration,  from  an  old  Scottish  song, 
beginning  thus :  — 

"  She  lean'd  her  back  against  a  thorn, 
The  sun  shines  fair  on  Carlisle  wa'; 
And  there  she  has  her  young  babe  born. 
And  the  lyon  shall  be  lord  of  a'." 


148  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  vi. 

And  she  would  marry  a  Scottish  knight, 
For  Love  will  still  be  lord  of  all. 

BHthely  they  saw  the  rising  sun, 

When  he  shone  fair  on  Carlisle  wall ; 
But  they  were  sad  ere  day  was  done, 

Though  Love  was  still  the  lord  of  all. 

Her  sire  gave  brooch  and  jewel  fine, 

Where  the  sun  shines  fair  on  Carlisle  wall ; 

Her  brother  gave  but  a  flask  of  wine, 
For  ire  that  Love  was  lord  of  all. 

For  she  had  lands,  both  meadow  and  lea, 
Where  the  sun  shines  fair  on  Carlisle  wail, 

And  he  swore  her  death,  ere  he  would  see 
A  Scottish  knight  the  lord  of  all  1 

XIL 

That  wine  she  had  not  tasted  well, 

(The  sun  shines  fair  on  Carlisle  wall.) 
When  dead,  in  her  true  love's  arms,  she  fell, 

For  Love  was  still  the  lord  of  all ! 

He  pierced  her  brother  to  the  heart, 

Where  the  sun  shines  fair  on  Carlisle  wall :  — 

So  perish  all  would  true  love  part. 
That  Love  may  still  be  lord  of  all. 

And  then  he  took  the  cross  divine, 

(Where  the  sun  shines  fair  on  Carlisle  wall,) 

And  died  for  her  sake  in  Palestine, 
So  Love  was  still  the  lord  of  all. 


CANTO  vi.j  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  j^q 

Now  all  ye  lovers,  that  faithful  prove, 

(The  sun  shines  fair  on  CarHsle  wall,) 
Pray  for  their  souls  who  died  for  love. 

For  Love  shall  still  be  lord  of  all  ! 

XIII. 

As  ended  Albert's  simple  lay. 

Arose  a  bard  of  loftier  port ; 
For  sonnet,  rhyme,  and  roundelay, 

Renown'd  in  haughty  Henry's  court. 
There  rung  thy  harp,  unrivall'd  long, 
Fitztraver  of  the  silver  song  ! 

The  gentle  Surrey  loved  his  lyre  — 
Who  has  not  heard  of  Surrey's  fame?  ' 

His  was  the  hero's  soul  of  fire, 

And  his  the  bard's  immortal  name, 
And  his  was  love,  exalted  high 
By  all  the  glow  of  chivalry. 

XIV. 

They  sought,  together,  climes  afar, 

And  oft,  within  some  olive  grove, 
When  even  came  with  twinkling  star, 

They  sung  of  Surrey's  absent  love. 
His  step  the  Italian  peasant  stay'd, 

And  deem'd,  that  spirits  from  on  high, 

1  The  gallant  and  unfortunate  Henry  Howard,  Earl  of  Surrey,  was  unques- 
tionably the  most  accomplished  cavalier  of  his  time;  and  his  sonnets  display 
beauties  which  would  do  honor  to  a  more  polished  age.  He  was  beheaded  on 
Tower-hill  in  1546;  a  victim  to  the  mean  jealousy  of  Henry  VHI.,  who  could 
not  bear  so  brilliant  a  character  near  his  throne. 

The  song  of  the  supposed  bard  is  founded  on  an  incident  said  to  have  hap- 
pened to  the  Earl  in  his  travels.  Cornelius  Agrippa,  the  celebrated  alchemist, 
showed  him,  in  a  looking-glass,  the  lovely  Geraldine,  to  whose  service  he  had 
devoted  his  pen  and  his  sword.  The  vision  represented  her  as  indisposed,  and 
reclining  upon  a  couch,  reading  her  lover's  verses  by  the  light  of  a  waxen  taper. 


150  THE  LAY  OF  [CANTO  VI. 

Round  where  some  hermit  saint  was  laid, 

Were  breathing  iieavenly  melody  ; 
So  sweet  did  harp  and  voice  combine,^ 
To  praise  the  name  of  Geraldine. 

XV. 

Fitztraver  !  O  what  tongue  may  say 

The  pangs  thy  faithful  bosom  knew, 
When  Surrey,  of  the  deathless  lay, 

Ungrateful  Tudor's  sentence  slew? 
Regardless  of  the  tyrant's  frown. 
His  harp  call'd  wrath  and  vengeance  down. 
He  left  for  Naworth's  iron  towers, 
Windsor's  green  glades,  and  courtly  bowers, 
And  faithful  to  his  patron's  name, 
With  Howard  still  Fitztraver  came  ; 
Lord  William's  foremost  favorite  he. 
And  chief  of  all  his  minstrelsy. 

XVI. 

FITZTRAVKR.- 

'Twas  All-soul's  eve,  and  Surrey's  heart  beat  high ; 

He  heard  the  midnight  bell  with  anxious  start. 
Which  told  the  mystic  hour,  approaching  nigh, 

Vv^'hen  wise  Cornelius  promised,  by  his  art, 
To  show  to  him  the  ladye  of  his  heart, 

Albeit  betwixt  them  roar'd  the  ocean  grim  ; 
Yet  so  the  sage  had  hight  to  play  his  part, 

That  he  should  see  her  form  in  life  and  limb, 
And  mark,  if  still  she  loved,  and  still  she  thought  of  him. 

i   [First  Edit.  —  "  So  sweet  their  harp  and  voices  join''^ 

2  ["The  second  song,  that  of  Fitztraver,  the  bard  of  the  accomphshed  Sur- 
rey, has  more  of  the  richness  and  polish  of  the  Itahan  poetry,  and  is  very  beau- 
tifully written  in  a  stanza  resembling  that  of  Spenser."  —  JEFFREY.] 


CANTO  VI.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  151 

XVII. 

Dark  was  the  vaulted  room  of  gramarye, 

To  which  the  wizard  led  the  gallant  Knight, 
Save  that  before  a  mirror,  huge  and  high, 

A  hallowed  taper  shed  a  glimmering  light 
On  mystic  implements  of  magic  might ; 

On  cross,  and  character,  and  talisman. 
And  almagest,  and  altar,  nothing  bright : 

For  fitful  was  the  lustre,  pale  and  wan, 
As  watchlight  by  the  bed  of  some  departing  man. 

XVIII. 

But  soon,  within  that  mirror  huge  and  high, 

Was  seen  a  self-emitted  light  to  gleam  ; 
And  forms  upon  its  breast  the  Earl  'gan  spy, 

Cloudy  and  indistinct,  as  feverish  dream ; 
Till,  slow  arranging,  and  defined,  they  seem 

To  form  a  lordly  and  a  lofty  room, 
Part  lighted  by  a  lamp  with  silver  beam. 

Placed  by  a  couch  of  Agra's  silken  loom. 
And  part  by  moonshine  pale,  and  part  was  hid  in  gloom. 

XIX. 

Fair  all  the  pageant  —  but  how  passing  fair 

The  slender  form,  which  lay  on  couch  of  Ind  ! 
O'er  her  white  bosom  stray'd  her  hazel  hair, 

Pale  her  dear  cheek,  as  if  for  love  she  pined  ; 
All  in  her  night-robe  loose  she  lay  reclined, 

And,  pensive,  read  from  tablet  eburnine, 
Some  strain  that  seem'd  her  inmost  soul  to  find  :  — 

That  favor'd  strain  was  Surrey's  raptured  line, 
That  fair  and  lovely  form,  the  Lady  Geraldine. 


152  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  vi. 

XX. 

Slow  roll'd  the  clouds  upon  the  lovely  form, 

And  swept  the  goodly  vision  all  away  — 
So  royal  envy  roll'd  the  murky  storm 

O'er  my  beloved  Master's  glorious  day. 
Thou  jealous,  ruthless  tyrant  !  Heaven  repay 

On  thee,  and  on  thy  children's  latest  line, 
The  wild  caprice  of  thy  despotic  sway, 

The  gory  bridal  bed,  the  plunder'd  shrine. 
The  murder'd  Surrey's  blood,  the  tears  of  Geraldine  ! 

XXI. 

Both  Scots,  and  Southern  chiefs,  prolong 
Applauses  of  Fitztraver's  song  ; 
These  hated  Henry's  name  as  death. 
And  those  still  held  the  ancient  faith.  — ■ 
Then,  from  his  seat,  with  lofty  air, 
Rose  Harold,  bard  of  brave  St.  Clair ; 
St.  Clair,  who,  feasting  high  at  Home, 
Had  with  that  lord  to  battle  come. 
Harold  was  born  where  restless  seas 
Howl  round  the  storm-swept  Orcades  ;  ^ 
Where  erst  St.  Clairs  held  princely  sway 
O'er  isle  and  islet,  strait  and  bay  ;  — 
Still  nods  their  palace  to  its  fall, 
Thy  pride  and  sorrow,  fair  Kirkwall  !  —  - 
Thence  oft  he  mark'd  fierce  Pentland  rave. 
As  if  grim  Odin  rode  her  wave  ; 
And  watch'd,  the  whilst,  with  visage  pale, 
And  throbbing  heart,  the  struggling  sail ; 

1  [See  Appendix,  Note  K  2.] 

2  [See  Appendix,  Note  L  2.] 


CANTO  VI.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  153 

For  all  of  wonderful  and  wild 
Had  rapture  for  the  lonely  child. 

XXII. 

And  much  of  wild  and  wonderful 

In  these  rude  isles  might  fancy  cull ; 

For  thither  came,  in  times  afar, 

Stern  Lochlin's  sons  of  roving  war, 

The  Norsmen,  train'd  to  spoil  and  blood, 

Skill'd  to  prepare  the  raven's  food  ; 

Kings  of  the  main  their  leaders  brave, 

Their  barks  the  dragons  of  the  wave.' 

And  there,  in  many  a  stormy  vale. 

The  Scald  had  told  his  wondrous  tale ; 

And  many  a  Runic  column  high 

Had  witness'd  grim  idolatry. 

And  thus  had  Harold,  in  his  youth, 

Learn'd  many  a  Saga's  rhyme  uncouth,  — 

Of  that  Sea-Snake,  tremendous  curl'd. 

Whose  monstrous  circle  girds  the  world  ;  ~ 

Of  those  dread  Maids,^  whose  hideous  yell 

Maddens  the  battle's  bloody  swell ; 

Of  chiefs,  who,  guided  through  the  gloom 

By  the  pale  death-lights  of  the  tomb, 

Ransack'd  the  graves  of  warriors  old, 

1  [The  chiefs  of  the  Vakhigr,  or  Scandinavian  pirates,  assumed  the  title  of 
Sxkonungr ,  or  Sea-kings.  Ships,  in  the  inflated  language  of  the  Scalds,  are 
often  termed  the  serpents  of  the  ocean.] 

2  The  jontiittigandr,  or  Snake  of  the  Ocean,  whose  folds  surround  the  earth, 
is  one  of  the  wildest  fictions  of  the  Edda.  It  was  very  nearly  caught  by  the  god 
Thor,  who  went  to  fish  for  it  with  a  hook  baited  with  a  bull's  head.  In  the  bat- 
tle betwixt  the  evil  demons  and  the  divinities  of  Odin,  which  is  to  precede  the 
Ragnarockr,  or  Twilight  of  the  Gods,  this  Snake  is  to  act  a  conspicuous  part. 

3  These  were  the  Valcyrlur,  or  Selectors  of  the  Slain,  despatched  by  Odin 
from  Valhalla,  to  choose  those  who  were  to  die,  and  to  distribute  the  contest. 
They  are  well  known  to  the  English  reader,  as  Gray's  Fat  i1  Sisters. 


1^4  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  vi. 

Their  falchions  wrench'd  from  corpses'  hold,^ 
Waked  the  deaf  tomb  with  war's  alarms, 
And  bade  the  dead  arise  to  arms  ! 
With  war  and  wonder  all  on  flame, 
To  Roslin's  bowers  young  Harold  came, 
Where,  by  sweet  glen  and  greenwood  tree, 
He  learn'd  a  milder  minstrelsy  ; 
Yet  something  of  the  Northern  spell 
Mix'd  with  the  softer  numbers  well. 


xxni. 

HAROLD.^ 

O  listen,  listen,  ladies  gay  ! 

No  haughty  feat  of  arms  I  tell ; 
Soft  is  the  note,  and  sad  the  lay, 

That  mourns  the  lovely  Rosabelle.^ 


1  The  northern  warriors  were  usually  entombed  with  their  arms  and  their 
other  treasures.  Thus  Angantyr,  before  commencing  the  duel  in  which  he  was 
slain,  stipulated,  that  if  he  fell,  his  sword  Tyrfing  should  be  buried  with  him. 
His  daughter,  Hervor,  afterwards  look  it  from  his  tomb.  The  dialogue  which 
passed  betwixt  her  and  Angantyr's  spirit  on  this  occasion  has  been  often  trans- 
lated. The  whole  history  may  be  found  in  the  Her  vara  r-Saga.  Indeed,  the 
ghosts  of  the  northern  warriors  were  not  wont  tamely  to  suffer  their  tombs  to  be 
plundered;  and  hence  the  mortal  heroes  had  an  additional  temptation  to  at- 
tempt such  adventures;  for  they  held  nothing  more  worthy  of  their  valor  than 
to  encounter  supernatural  beings.  —  BarTHOLINUS  De  causis  contcmptce  a  Da- 
nis  mortis,  lib.  i.  cap.  2,  9,  10,  13. 

2  ["  The  third  song  is  intended  to  represent  that  wild  style  of  composition 
which  prevailed  among  the  bards  of  the  Northern  Continent,  somewhat  softened 
and  adorned  by  the  Minstrel's  residence  in  the  South.  We  prefer  it,  upon  the 
whole,  to  either  of  the  two  former,  and  shall  give  it  entire  to  our  readers,  who 
will  probably  be  struck  with  the  poetical  effect  of  the  dramatic  form  in  which  it 
is  thrown,  and  of  the  indirect  description  by  which  everything  is  most  express- 
ively told,  without  one  word  of  a  distinct  narrative." —  Jefkrky.] 

3  This  was  a  family  name  in  the  house  of  St.  Clair.  Henry  St.  Clair,  the 
second  of  the  line,  married  Rosabelle,  fourth  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Stratherne. 


CANTO  VI.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  155 

—  "  Moor,  moor  the  barge,  ye  gallant  crew  ! 

And,  gentle  ladye,  deign  to  stay  ! 
Rest  thee  in  Castle  Ravensheuch,i 

Nor  tempt  the  stormy  firth  to-day. 


"  The  blackening  wave  is  edged  with  white  ; 

To  inch  ~  and  rock  the  sea-mews  fly ; 
The  fishers  have  heard  the  Water- Sprite, 

Whose  screams  forbode  that  wreck  is  nisfh. 


"  Last  night  the  gifted  Seer  did  view 

A  wet  shroud  swathed  ^  round  ladye  gay ; 

Then  stay  thee,  Fair,  in  Ravensheuch  : 
Why  cross  the  gloomy  firth  to-day?"  — 

"  'Tis  not  because  Lord  Lindesay's  heir 
To-night  at  Roslin  leads  the  ball, 

But  that  my  ladye-mother  there 
Sits  lonely  in  her  castle-hall. 

"  'Tis  not  because  the  ring  they  ride. 
And  Lindesay  at  the  ring  rides  well, 

But  that  my  sire  the  wine  will  chide, 
If  'tis  not  fiU'd  by  Rosabelle."  — 


1  A  large  and  strong  castle,  now  ruinous,  situated  betwixt  Kirkaldy  and 
Dysart,  on  a  steep  crag,  washed  by  the  Fritli  of  Forth.  It  was  conferred  on  Sir 
William  St.  Clair,  as  a  slight  compensation  for  the  earldom  of  Orkney,  by  a 
charter  of  King  James  III.,  dated  in  1471,  and  is  now  the  property  of  Sir  James 
St.  Clair  Erskine  (now  Earl  of  Rosslyn),  representative  of  the  family.  It  was 
long  a  principal  residence  of  the  Barons  of  Roslin. 

2  Inch,  Isle. 

3  \Flrst  Edit.  —  "A  wet  shroud  roird."'\ 


156  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  vi. 

O'er  Roslin  all  that  dreary  night, 

A  wondrous  blaze  was  seen  to  gleam  ; 
'Twas  broader  than  the  watch-fire's  light, 

And  redder  than  the  bright  moon-beam. 

It  glared  on  Roslin's  castled  rock. 

It  ruddied  ^  all  the  copse-wood  glen  ; 
'Twas  seen  from  Dryden's  groves  of  oak, 

And  seen  from  cavern'd  Hawthornden. 

Seem'd  all  on  nre  that  chapel  proud, 

Where  Roslin's  chiefs  uncoffin'd  lie. 
Each  Baron,  for  a  sable  shroud. 

Sheathed  in  his  iron  panoply. 

Seem'd  all  on  fire  within,  around, 

Deep  sacristy  -  and  altar's  pale  ; 
Shone  every  pillar  foliage-bound, 

And  glimmer'd  all  the  dead  men's  mail.^ 

1   \First  Edit.  —  "  It  reddened','  &c.] 

'-   \Flrst  Edit.  —  "  Both  vaulted  crypt,"  &c.] 

3  The  beautiful  chapel  of  Roslin  is  still  in  tolerable  preservation.  It  was 
founded  in  1446,  by  William  St.  Clair,  Prince  of  Orkney,  Duke  of  Oldenburgh, 
Earl  of  Caithness  and  Stratherne,  Lord  St.  Clair,  Lord  Niddesdale,  Lord  Ad- 
miral of  the  Scottish  Seas,  Lord  Chief  Justice  of  Scotland,  Lord  Warden  of  the 
three  Marches,  Baron  of  Roslin,  Pentland,  Pentland-moor,  Sec,  Knight  of  the 
Cockle,  and  of  the  Garter  (as  is  affirmed).  High  Chancellor,  Chamberlain,  and 
Lieutenant  of  Scotland.  This  lofty  person,  whose  titles,  says  Godscroft,  might 
weary  a  Spaniard,  built  the  castle  of  Roslin,  where  he  resided  in  princely  splen- 
dor, and  founded  the  chapel,  which  is  in  the  most  rich  and  florid  style  of 
Gothic  architecture.  .A.mong  the  profuse  carving  on  the  pillars  and  buttresses, 
the  rose  is  frequently  introduced,  in  allusion  to  the  name,  with  which,  however, 
the  flower  has  no  connection  ;  the  etymology  being  Rosslinnbe,  the  promontory 
of  the  linn,  or  w-ater-fall.  The  chapel  is  said  to  appear  on  fire  previous  to  the 
death  of  any  of  his  descendants.  This  superstition,  noticed  by  Slezer  in  his 
Teatruni  Scotia,  and  alluded  to  in  the  te.xt,  is  probably  of  Norwegian  deriva- 
tion, and  may  have  been  imported  by  the  Earls  of  Orkney  into  their  Lothian 
dominions.    The  tomb-fires  of  the  north  are  mentioned  in  most  of  the  Sagas. 


CANTO  VI.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  157 

Blazed  battlement  and  pinnet  high, 

Blazed  every  rose-carved  buttress  fair  — 

So  still  they  blaze,  when  fate  is  nigh 
The  lordly  line  of  high  St.  Clair. 


There  are  twenty  of  Roslin's  barons  bold 
Lie  buried  within  that  proud  chapelle  ; 

Each  one  the  holy  vault  doth  hold — 
But  the  sea  holds  lovely  Rosabelle  ! 


And  each  St.  Clair  was  buried  there, 

With  candle,  with  book,  and  with  knell ; 

But  the  sea-caves  rung,  and  the  wild  winds  sung,^ 
The  dirge  of  lovely  Rosabelle. 


The  Barons  of  Roslin  were  buried  in  a  vault  beneath  the  chapel  floor.  The 
manner  of  their  interment  is  thus  described  by  P'ather  Hay  in  the  MS.  history 
already  quoted. 

"  Sir  William  Sinclair,  the  father,  was  a  leud  man.  He  kept  a  miller's 
daughter,  with  whom,  it  is  alleged,  he  went  to  Ireland;  yet  I  think  the  cause 
of  his  retreat  was  rather  occasioned  by  the  Presbyterians,  who  vexed  him  sadly 
because  of  his  religion  being  Roman  Catholic.  His  son.  Sir  William,  died 
during  the  troubles,  and  was  interred  in  the  chapel  of  Roslin  the  very  same  day 
that  the  battle  of  Dunbar  was  fought.  When  my  good-father  was  buried,  his 
{i.e..  Sir  William's)  corpse  seemed  to  be  entire  at  the  opening  of  the  cave;  but 
when  they  came  to  touch  his  body,  it  fell  into  dust.  He  was  laying  in  his  ar- 
mor, with  a  red  velvet  cap  on  his  head,  on  a  flat  stone;  nothing  was  spoiled 
except  a  piece  of  the  white  furring  that  went  round  the  cap,  and  answered  to 
the  hinder  part  of  the  head.  All  his  predecessors  were  buried  after  the  same 
manner,  in  their  armor ;  late  Rosline,  my  good-father,  was  the  first  that  was 
buried  in  a  coffin  against  the  sentiments  of  King  James  the  Seventh,  who  was 
then  in  Scotland,  and  several  other  persons  well  versed  in  antiquity,  to  whom 
my  mother  would  not  hearken,  thinking  it  beggarly  to  be  buried  after  that  man- 
ner. The  great  expenses  she  was  at  in  burying  her  husband,  occasioned  the 
sumptuary  acts  which  were  made  in  the  following  parliament." 

1    {First  Edit.  —  "  But  the  Kelpie  rung  and  the  Mermaids  sung."] 


158  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  vi. 

XXIV. 

So  sweet  was  Harold's  piteous  lay,* 

Scarce  mark'd  the  guests  the  darken'd  hall, 
Though,  long  before  the  sinking  day, 

A  wondrous  shade  involved  them  all : 
It  was  not  eddying  mist  or  fog, 
Drain'd  by  the  sun  from  fen  or  bog ; 

Of  no  eclipse  had  sages  told  ; 
And  yet,  as  it  came  on  apace, 
Each  one  could  scarce  his  neighbor's  face. 

Could  scarce  his  own  stretch'd  hand  behold. 
A  secret  horror  check'd  the  feast. 
And  chill'd  the  soul  of  every  guest ; 
Even  the  high  Dame  stood  half  aghast, 
She  knew  some  evil  on  the  blast ; 
The  elvish  page  fell  to  the  ground. 
And,  shuddering,  mutter'd,  "  Found  !  found  !  found  !  " 

XXV. 

Then  sudden,  through  the  darken'd  air 

A  flash  of  lightning  came  ; 
So  broad,  so  bright,  so  red  the  glare, 

The  castle  seem'd  on  flame. 
Glanced  every  rafter  of  the  hall, 
Glanced  every  shield  upon  the  wall ; 
Each  trophied  beam,  each  sculptured  stone, 
Were  instant  seen,  and  instant  gone  : 
Full  through  the  guests'  bedazzled  band 
Resistless  flash'd  the  levin-brand, 
And  fill'd  the  hall  with  smouldering  smoke 

1    ["  I  observe  a  great  poetic  climax,  designed,  doubtless,  in  the  two  last  of 
these  songs,  from  the  first."  — ANNA  Seward.] 


CANTO  VI.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  leg 

As  on  the  elvish  page  it  broke. 

It  broke,  with  thunder  long  and  loud, 
Dismay'd  the  brave,  appall'd  the  proud,  — 

From  sea  to  sea  the  larum  rung ; 
On  Berwick  wall,  and  at  Carlisle  withal, 
To  arms  the  startled  warders  sprung. 
When  ended  was  the  dreadful  roar. 
The  elvish  dwarf  was  seen  no  more  !  i 


1  "The  Goblin  Page,  is,  in  our  opinion,  the  capital  deformity  of  the  poem. 
We  have  already  said  the  whole  machinery  is  useless ;  but  the  magic  studies  of 
the  lady,  and  the  rifled  tomb  of  Michael  Scott,  give  occasion  to  so  much  admi- 
rable poetry,  that  we  can  on  no  account  consent  to  part  with  them.  The  page, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  a  perpetual  burden  to  the  poet,  and  to  the  reader ;  it  is  an 
undignified  and  improbable  fiction,  which  excites  neither  terror,  admiration, 
nor  astonishment,  but  needlessly  debases  the  strain  of  the  whole  work,  and  ex- 
cites at  once  our  incredulity  and  contempt.  He  is  not  a  '  tricksy  spirit,'  like 
Ariel,  with  whom  the  imagination  is  irresistibly  enamored,  nor  a  tiny  monarch, 
like  Oberon,  disposing  of  the  destinies  of  mortals ;  he  rather  appears  to  us  to 
be  an  awkward  sort  of  a  mongrel  between  Puck  and  Caliban,  of  a  servile  and 
brutal  nature,  and  limited  in  his  powers  to  the  indulgence  of  petty  malignity, 
and  the  infliction  of  despicable  injuries.  Besides  this  objection  to  his  character, 
his  existence  has  no  support  from  any  general  or  established  superstition. 
Fairies  and  devils,  ghosts,  angels,  and  witches,  are  creatures  with  whom  we  are 
all  familiar,  and  who  excite  in  all  classes  of  mankind  emotions  with  which  we 
can  easily  be  made  to  sympathize.  But  the  history  of  Gilpin  Horner  was  never 
believed  out  of  the  village  where  he  is  said  to  have  made  his  appearance,  and 
has  no  claims  upon  the  credulity  of  those  who  were  not  originally  of  his  ac- 
quaintance. There  is  nothing  at  all  interesting  or  elegant  in  the  scenes  of 
which  he  is  the  hero ;  and  in  reading  these  passages,  we  really  could  not  help 
suspecting  that  they  did  not  stand  in  the  romance  when  the  aged  minstrel  re- 
cited it  to  the  royal  Charles  and  his  mighty  earls,  but  were  inserted  afterwards 
to  suit  the  taste  of  the  cottagers  among  whom  he  begged  his  bread  on  the 
Border.  We  entreat  Mr.  Scott  to  enquire  into  the  grounds  of  this  suspicion, 
and  to  take  advantage  of  any  decent  pretext  he  can  lay  hold  of  for  purging  the 
'  Lay  ■  of  this  ungraceful  intruder.*  We  would  also  move  for  a  quo  warranto 
against  the  Spirits  of  the  River  and  the  Mountain ;  for,  though  they  are  come 
of  a  very  high  lineage,  we  do  not  know  what  lawful  business  they  could  have  at 
Branksome  Castle  in  the  year  1550."  —  JEFFREY.] 

*  See  the  Author's  Introduction  to  the  "  Lay,"  p.  17. 


l5o  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  vi. 

XXVI. 
Some  heard  a  voice  in  Branksome  Hall, 
Some  saw  a  sight  not  seen  by  all ; 
That  dreadful  voice  was  heard  by  some, 
Cry,  with  loud  summons,  "Gylbin,  come  !  " 

And  on  the  spot  where  burst  the  brand, 
just  where  the  page  had  flung  him  down, 

Some  saw  an  arm,  and  some  a  hand. 
And  some  the  weaving  of  a  gown. 
The  guests  in  silence  pray'd  and  shook. 
And  terror  dimm'd  each  lofty  look. 
But  none  of  all  the  astonish'd  train 
Was  so  dismay 'd  as  Deloraine  ; 
His  blood  did  freeze,  his  brain  did  burn, 
'Twas  fear'd  his  mind  would  ne'er  return  ; 

For  he  was  speechless,  ghastly,  wan, 

Like  him  of  whom  the  story  ran, 

Who  spoke  the  spectre-hound  in  Man.' 

1  The  ancient  castle  of  Peel-town  in  the  Isle  of  Man,  is  surrounded  by  four 
churches,  now  ruinous.  Through  one  of  these  chapels  there  was  formerly  a 
passage  from  the  guard-room  of  the  garrison.  This  was  closed,  it  is  said,  upon 
the  following  occasion  :  "  They  say,  that  an  apparition,  called,  in  the  Mankish 
language,  the  Maiithe  Doog,  in  the  shape  of  a  large  black  spaniel,  with  curled 
shaggy  hair,  was  used  to  haunt  Peel-castle ;  and  has  been  frequently  seen  in 
every  room,  but  particularly  in  the  guard-chamber,  where,  as  soon  as  candles 
were  lighted,  it  came  and  lay  down  before  the  fire,  in  presence  of  all  the  soldiers, 
who,  at  length,  by  being  so  much  accustomed  to  the  sight  of  it,  lost  great  part 
of  the  terror  they  were  seized  with  at  its  first  appearance.  They  still,  however, 
retained  a  certain  awe,  as  believing  it  was  an  evil  spirit,  which  only  waited  per- 
mission to  do  them  hurt ;  and,  for  that  reason,  forebore  swearing,  and  all  pro- 
fane discourse,  while  in  its  company.  But  though  they  endured  the  shock  of 
such  a  guest  when  altogether  in  a  body,  none  cared  to  be  left  alone  with  it.  It 
being  the  custom,  therefore,  for  one  of  the  soldiers  to  lock  the  gates  of  the 
castle  at  a  certain  hour,  and  carry  the  keys  to  the  captain,  to  whose  apartment, 
as  I  said  before,  the  way  led  through  the  church,  they  agreed  among  themselves, 
that  whoever  was  to  succeed  the  ensuing  night  his  fellow  in  this  errand,  should 
accompany  him  that  went  first,  and  by  this  means  no  man  would  be  exposed 


CANTO  VI.]  THE  LAST  MIiYSTREL.  i5£ 

At  length,  by  fits,  he  darkly  told, 
With  broken  hint,  and  shuddering  cold 

That  he  had  seen,  right  certainly, 
A  shape  with  a/nice  wrapfd  around, 
With  a  wrought  Spanish  baldric  boimd, 

Like  pilgrim  from  beyond  the  sea  ; 
And  knew  —  but  how  it  matter'd  not  — 
It  was  the  wizard,  Michael  Scott. 

XXVII. 

The  anxious  crowd,  with  horror  pale, 
All  trembling  heard  the  wondrous  tale  ; 

singly  to  the  danger ;  for,  I  forgot  to  mention,  that  the  Maiithe  Doog  was  always 
seen  to  come  out  from  that  passage  at  the  close  of  the  day,  and  return  to  it 
again  as  soon  as  the  morning  dawned ;  which  made  them  look  on  this  place  as 
its  peculiar  residence. 

"  One  night  a  fellow  being  drunk,  and  by  the  strength  of  his  liquor  rendered 
more  daring  than  ordinarily,  laughed  at  the  simplicity  of  his  companions;  and, 
though  it  was  not  his  turn  to  go  with  the  keys,  would  needs  take  that  oiifice 
upon  him,  to  testify  his  courage.  All  the  soldiers  endeavored  to  dissuade  him  ; 
but  the  more  they  said,  the  more  resolute  he  seemed,  and  swore  that  he  desired 
nothing  more  than  that  the  Mauthe  Doog  would  follow  him  as  it  had  done  the 
others ;  for  he  would  try  if  it  were  dog  or  devil.  After  having  talked  in  a  very 
reprobate  manner  for  some  time,  he  snatched  up  the  keys,  and  went  out  of  the 
guard-room.  In  some  time  after  his  departure,  a  great  noise  was  heard,  but 
nobody  had  the  boldness  to  see  what  occasioned  it,  till,  the  adventurer  return- 
ing, they  demanded  the  knowledge  of  him ;  but  as  loud  and  noisy  as  he  had 
been  at  leaving  them,  he  was  now  become  sober  and  silent  enough ;  for  he  was 
never  heard  to  speak  more ;  and  through  all  the  time  he  lived,  which  was  three 
days,  he  was  entreated  by  all  who  came  near  him,  either  to  speak,  or,  if  he 
could  not  do  that,  to  make  some  signs,  by  which  they  might  understand  what 
had  happened  to  him,  yet  nothing  intelligible  could  be  got  from  him,  only  that, 
by  the  distortion  of  the  limbs  and  features,  it  might  be  guessed  that  he  died  in 
agonies  more  than  is  common  in  a  natural  death. 

"  The  Mauthe  Doog  was,  however,  never  after  seen  in  the  castle,  nor  would 
any  one  attempt  to  go  through  that  passage  ;  for  which  reason  it  was  closed  up, 
and  another  way  made.  This  accident  happened  about  three-score  years  since  ; 
and  I  heard  it  attested  by  several,  but  especially  by  an  old  soldier,  who  assured 
me  he  had  seen  it  oftener  than  he  had  hairs  on  his  head."  — Waldron's  De- 
scription of  the  Isle  of  Man,  p.  107. 


1 62  THE  LAV  OF  [canto  vi. 

No  sound  was  made,  no  word  was  spoke, 

Till  noble  Angus  silence  broke  ; 
'  And  he  a  solemn  sacred  plight 

Did  to  St.  Bride  of  Douglas  make,^ 

That  he  a  pilgrimage  would  take 

To  Melrose  Abbey,  for  the  sake 
Of  Michael's  restless  sprite. 
Then  each  to  ease  his  troubled  breast, 
To  some  bless'd  saint  his  prayers  address'd ; 
Some  to  St.  Modan  made  their  vows, 
Some  to  St.  Mary  of  the  Lowes, 
Some  to  the  Holy  Rood  of  Lisle, 
Some  to  our  Ladye  of  the  Isle. 
Each  did  his  patron  witness  make. 
That  he  such  pilgrimage  w^ould  take, 
And  Monks  should  sing,  and  bells  should  toll. 
All  for  the  weal  of  IMichael's  soul. 
While  vows  were  ta'en,  and  prayers  were  pray'd, 
'Tis  said  the  noble  dame,  dismay'd. 
Renounced,  for  aye,  dark  magic's  aid. 

XXVIIL 

Nought  of  the  bridal  will  I  tell, 
Which  after  in  short  space  befell ; 
Nor  how  brave  sons  and  daughters  fair 
Blessed  Teviot's  Flower,  and  Cranstoun's  heir : 

1  This  was  a  favorite  saint  of  the  house  of  Douglas,  and  of  the  Earl  of  An- 
gus in  particular ;  as  we  learn  from  the  following  passage  :  —  "  The  Queen- 
regent  had  proposed  to  raise  a  rival  noble  to  the  ducal  dignity:  and  discours- 
ing of  her  purpose  with  Angus,  he  answered,  '  Why  not,  madam?  we  are  happy 
that  have  such  a  princess,  that  can  know  and  will  acknowledge  men's  services, 
and  is  willing  to  recompense  it;  but,  by  the  might  of  God'  (this  was  his  oath 
when  he  was  serious  and  in  anger ;  at  other  times,  it  was  by  St.  Bryde  of  Doug- 
las), 'if  he  be  a  Duke,  I  will  be  a  Drake!  '  —  So  she  desisted  from  prosecut- 
ing of  that  purpose."  —  GODSCROFT,  vol.  ii.  p.  131. 


CANTO  VI.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  163 

After  such  dreadful  scene,  'twere  vain 
To  wake  the  note  of  mirth  again. 
More  meet  it  were  to  mark  the  day 
Of  penitence  and  prayer  divine, 
When  Pilgrim-chiefs,  in  sad  array, 
Sought  Melrose'  holy  shrine. 

XXIX. 

With  naked  feet,  and  sackcloth  vest, 
And  arms  enfolded  on  his  breast. 

Did  every  pilgrim  go  ; 
The  standers-by  might  hear  uneath, 
Footstep,  or  voice,  or  high-drawn  breath, 

Through  all  the  lengthen'd  row  : 
No  lordly  look,  nor  martial  stride. 
Gone  was  their  glory,  sunk  their  pride, 

Forgotten  their  renown ; 
Silent  and  slow,  like  ghosts  they  glide 
To  the  high  altar's  hallow'd  side. 

And  there  they  knelt  them  down  : 
Above  the  suppliant  chieftains  wave 
The  banners  of  departed  brave  ; 
Beneath  the  letter'd  stones  were  laid 
The  ashes  of  their  fathers  dead  ; 
From  many  a  garnish'd  niche  around. 
Stern  saints  and  tortured  martyrs  frown'd. 

XXX. 

And  slow  up  the  dim  aisle  afar. 
With  sable  cowl  and  scapular. 
And  snow-white  stoles,  in  order  due, 
The  holy  Fathers,  two  and  two, 

In  long  procession  came  ; 
Taper,  and  host,  and  book  they  bare, 


1 64  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  vi. 

And  holy  banner,  flourish'd  fair 

With  the  Redeemer's  name. 
Above  the  prostrate  pilgrim  band 
The  mitred  Abbot  stretch'd  his  hand, 

And  bless'd  them  as  they  kneel'd  ; 
With  holy  cross  he  sign'd  them  all, 
And  pray'd  they  might  be  sage  in  hall. 

And  fortunate  in  field. 
Then  mass  was  sung,  and  prayers  were  said, 
And  solemn  requiem  for  the  dead ; 
And  bells  toU'd  out  their  mighty  peal, 
For  the  departed  spirit's  weal ; 
And  ever  in  the  office  close 
The  hymn  of  intercession  rose  ; 
And  far  the  echoing  aisles  prolong 
The  awful  burthen  of  the  song,  — 

Dies  ir^e,  dies  ilea, 

solvet  s^eclum  in  fa  villa  ; 
While  the  pealing  organ  rung ; 

Were  it  meet  with  sacred  strain 

To  close  my  lay,  so  light  and  vain, 
Thus  the  holy  Fathers  sung. 

XXXI. 

HYMN    FOR   THE    DEAD. 

That  day  of  wrath,  that  dreadful  day. 
When  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away, 
What  power  shall  be  the  sinner's  stay? 
How  shall  he  meet  that  dreadful  day? 

When,  shrivelling  like  a  parched  scroll, 
The  flaming  heavens  together  roll ; 
When  louder  yet,  and  yet  more  dread. 
Swells  the  high  trump  that  wakes  the  dead  ! 


Above  the  prostrate  pilgrim  band 
The  mitred  Abbot  strctt-h'd  his  hand." 

CvNTO  vi.  30. 


CANTO  VI.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  165 

Oh  !  on  that  day,  that  wrathful  day, 
When  man  to  judgment  wakes  from  clay, 
Be  Thou  the  trembling  sinner's  stay. 
Though  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away  ! 


Hush'd  is  the  harp  —  the  Minstrel  gone. 
And  did  he  wander  forth  alone  ? 
Alone,  in  indigence  and  age, 
To  linger  out  his  pilgrimage  ? 
No  :  —  close  beneath  proud  Newark's  tower,i 
Arose  the  Minstrel's  lowly  bower ; 
A  simple  hut :  but  there  was  seen 
The  little  garden  hedged  with  green, 
The  cheerful  hearth  and  lattice  clean. 
There  shelter'd  wanderers,  by  the  blaze, 
Oft  heard  the  tale  of  other  days  \ 
For  much  he  loved  to  ope  his  door. 
And  give  the  aid  he  begg'd  before. 
So  pass'd  the  winter's  day  ;  but  still, 
When  summer  smiled  on  sweet  Bowhill,^ 

1  ["  the  vale  unfolds 


Rich  groves  of  lofty  stature. 
With  Yarrow  winding  through  the  pomp 

Of  cultivated  nature; 
And,  rising  from  those  lofty  groves, 

Behold  a  ruin  hoary, 
The  shattered  front  of  Newark's  towers, 

Renown'd  in  Border  story. 
"  Fair  scenes  for  childhood's  opening  bloom 

For  sportive  youth  to  stray  in; 
For  manhood  to  enjoy  his  strength; 

And  age  to  wear  away  in,"  &c. 

Wordsworth's  Yarrow  Visited.^ 

2  [Bowhill  is  now,  as  has  been  mentioned  already,  a  seat  of  the  Duke  of  Buc- 
cleiich.  It  stands  immediately  below  Newark  Hill,  and  above  the  junction  of 
the  Yarrow  and  the  Etfrick.  For  the  other  places  named  in  the  text,  the  reader 
is  referred  to  various  notes  on  the  Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border.  —  Ed.] 


1 66  THE  LAY  OF  [canto  vi. 

And  July's  eve,  with  balmy  breath, 
Waved  the  blue-bells  on  Newark  heath ; 
When  throstles  sung  in  Harehead-shaw, 
And  corn  was  green  on  Carterhaugh,' 
And  flourish'd,  broad,  Blackandro's  oak, 
The  aged  Harper's  soul  awoke  ! 
Then  would  he  sing  achievements  high, 
And  circumstance  of  chivalry, 
Till  the  rapt  traveller  would  stay, 
Forgetful  of  the  closing  day  : 
And  noble  youths  the  strain  to  hear, 
Forsook  the  hunting  of  the  deer ; 
And  Yarrow,  as  he  roU'd  along. 
Bore  burden  to  the  Minstrel's  song.^ 


'^   \Orig.  —  "  KryA  grain  waved  green  on  Carterhaugh."] 

2  ["  The  large  quotations  we  have  made  from  this  singular  poem  must  have 
convinced  our  readers  that  it  abounds  equally  with  poetical  description,  and 
with  circumstances  curious  to  the  antiquary.  These  are  further  illustrated  in 
copious  and  very  entertaining  notes :  they,  as  well  as  the  poem,  must  be  par- 
ticularly interesting  to  those  who  are  connected  with  Scottish  families,  or  con- 
versant in  their  history.  The  author  has  managed  the  versification  of  the  poem 
with  great  judgment,  and  the  most  happy  effect.  If  he  had  aimed  at  the  grave 
and  stately  cadence  of  the  epic,  or  any  of  our  more  regular  measures,  it  would 
have  been  impossible  for  him  to  have  brought  in  such  names  as  Watt  Tinlin?i, 
Black  John,  Priesthaugh,  Scrogg,  and  other  Scottish  names,  or  to  have  spoken 
of  the  lyke-wake,  and  the  slogan,  and  driving  of  cattle,  which  Pope  and  Gray 
would  have  thought  as  impossible  to  introduce  into  serious  poetry,  as  Boileau 
did  the  names  of  towns  in  the  campaigns  of  Louis  IV.  Mr.  Scott  has,  therefore, 
very  judiciously  thrown  in  a  great  mixture  of  the  familiar,  and  varied  the  meas- 
ure ;  and  if  it  has  not  the  finished  harmony  which,  in  such  a  subject,  it  were  in 
vain  to  have  attempted,  it  has  great  ease  and  spirit,  and  never  tires  the  reader. 
Indeed  we  think  we  see  a  tendency  in  the  public  taste  to  go  back  to  the  more 
varied  measures  and  familiar  style  of  our  earlier  poets  ;  a  natural  consequence 
of  having  been  satiated  with  the  regular  harmony  of  Pope  and  his  school,  and 
somewhat  wearied  with  the  stiffness  of  lofty  poetic  language.  We  now  know 
what  can  be  done  in  that  way,  and  we  seek  entertainment  and  variety,  rather 
than  finished  modulation  and  uniform  dignity.  We  now  take  our  leave  of  this 
very  elegant,  spirited,  and  striking  poem." — Annual  Rcvieiv,  1804.] 


CANTO  VI.]  THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  167 

["  From  the  various  extracts  we  have  given,  our  readers  will  be  enabled  to 
form  a  tolerably  correct  judgment  of  the  poem;  and,  if  they  are  pleased  with 
those  portions  of  it  which  have  now  been  exhibited,  we  may  venture  to  assure 
them  that  they  will  not  be  disappointed  by  the  perusal  of  the  whole.  The  whole 
night  journey  of  Deloraine  —  the  opening  of  the  Wizard's  tomb  —  the  march  of 
the  English  battle  —  and  the  parley  before  the  walls  of  the  castle,  are  all  exe- 
cuted with  the  same  spirit  and  poetical  energy,  which  we  think  is  conspicuous 
in  the  specimens  we  have  already  extracted,  and  a  great  variety  of  short  passa- 
ges occur  in  every  part  of  the  poem,  which  are  still  more  striking  and  meritori- 
ous, though  it  is  impossible  to  deiach  them,  without  injury,  in  the  form  of  a 
quotation.  It  is  but  fair  to  apprize  the  reader,  on  the  other  hand,  that  he  will 
meet  with  very  heavy  passages,  and  with  a  variety  of  details  which  are  not  likely 
to  interest  any  one  but  a  Borderer  or  an  antiquary.  We  like  very  well  to  hear 
of  '  the  gallant  Chief  of  Otterburne,'  or  '  the  Dark  Knight  of  Liddesdale,'  and 
feel  the  elevating  power  of  great  names,  when  we  read  of  the  tribes  that  mus- 
tered to  the  war, '  beneath  the  crest  of  old  Dunbar  and  Hepburn's  mingled  ban- 
ners.' But  we  really  cannot  so  far  sympathize  with  the  local  partialities  of  the 
author,  as  to  feel  any  glow  of  patriotism  or  ancient  virtue  in  hearing  of  the  Tod- 
rig  or  Johnston  clans,  or  oi  Elliots,  Armstrongs,  and  Tinliiitts  ;  still  less  can  we 
relish  the  introduction  of  Black  Jock  of  Athelstane,  Whitslade  the  Hawk,  Ar- 
thur Fire-the-Braes,  Red  Roland  Forster,  or  any  other  of  those  worthies,  who 

"  Sought  the  beeves  that  made  their  broth, 
In  Scotland  and  in  England  both," 

into  a  poem  which  has  any  pretensions  to  seriousness  or  dignity.  The  ancient 
metrical  romance  might  have  admitted  these  homely  personalities ;  but  the 
present  age  will  not  endure  them  ;  and  Mr.  Scott  must  either  sacrifice  his  Bor- 
der prejudices,  or  offend  all  his  readers  in  the  other  parts  of  the  empire."  — 
Jeffrey.] 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 

Note  A. 

The  feast  was  over  hi  Branksome  Imver.  —  P.  35. 

In  the  reign  of  James  I.,  Sir  William  Scott  of  Buccleuch,  chief  of  the 
clan  bearing  that  name,  exchanged,  with  Sir  Thomas  Inglis  of  Manor,  the 
estate  of  Murdieston,  in  Lanarkshire,  for  one-half  of  the  barony  of  Brank- 
some,  or  Brankholm,'  lying  upon  the  Teviot,  about  three  miles  above 
Hawick.  He  was  probal)ly  induced  to  this  transaction  from  the  vicinity 
of  Branksome  to  the  extensive  domain  which  he  possessed  in  Ettrick  For- 
est and  in  Teviotdale.  In  the  former  district  he  held  by  occupancy  the 
estate  of  Buccleuch,^  and  much  of  the  forest  land  on  the  river  Ettrick.  In 
Teviotdale,  he  enjoyed  the  barony  of  Eckford,  by  a  grant  from  Robert  II. 
to  his  ancestor,  "Walter  Scott  of  Kirkurd,  for  the  apprehending  of  Gilbert 
Ridderford,  confirmed  by  Robert  III.,  3d  May,  1424.  Tradition  imputes 
the  exchange  betwixt  Scott  and  Inglis  to  a  conversation,  in  which  the 
latter,  a  man,  it  would  appear,  of  a  mild  and  forbearing  nature,  complained 
much  of  the  injuries  which  he  was  exposed  to  from  the  English  Borderers, 
who  frequently  plundered  his  lands  of  Branksome.  Sir  William  Scott 
instantly  offered  him  the  estate  of  Murdiestone,  in  exchange  for  that  which 
was  subject  to  such  egregious  inconvenience.  When  the  bargain  was 
completed,  he  dryly  remarked,  that  the  cattle  in  Cumberland  were  as  good 
as  those  of  Teviotdale ;  and  proceeded  to  commence  a  system  of  reprisals 
upon  the  English,  which  was  regularly  pursued  by  his  successors.     In  the 

1  Branxholm  is  the  proper  name  of  the  barony ;  but  Branksome  has  been  adopted,  as 
suitable  to  the  pronunciation,  and  more  proper  for  poetry. 

2  There  are  no  vestiges  of  any  building  at  Buccleuch,  except  the  site  of  a  chapel,  where, 
according  to  a  tradition  current  in  the  time  of  Scott  of  Satchells,  many  of  the  ancient  bar- 
ons of  Buccleuch  lie  buried.  There  is  also  said  to  have  been  a  mill  near  this  solitarj'  spot; 
an  extraordinary  circumstance,  as  little  or  no  corn  grows  within  several  miles  of  Buc- 
cleuch.    Satchells  says  it  was  used  to  grind  corn  for  the  hounds  of  the  chieftain. 


1/2 


THE  LAY  OF 


next  reign,  James  II.  granted  to  Sir  Walter  Scott  of  Branksome,  and  to 
Sir  David,  his  son,  the  remaining  half  of  the  barony  of  Branksome,  to  be 
held  in  blanche  for  the  payment  of  a  red  rose.  The  cause  assigned  for  the 
grant  is,  their  brave  and  faithful  exertions  in  favor  of  the  King  against  the 
house  of  Douglas,  with  whom  James  had  been  recently  tugging  for  the 
throne  of  Scotland.  This  charter  is  dated  the  2d  February,  1443;  and,  in 
the  same  month,  part  of  the  barony  of  Langholm,  and  many  lands  in 
Lanarkshire,  were  conferred  upon  Sir  Walter  and  his  son  by  the  same 
monarch. 

After  the  period  of  the  exchange  with  Sir  Thomas  Inglis,  Branksome 
became  the  principal  seat  of  the  Buccleuch  family.  The  castle  was  en- 
larged and  strengthened  by  Sir  David  Scott,  the  grandson  of  Sir  William, 
its  first  possessor.  But,  in  1570-1,  the  vengeance  of  Elizabeth,  provoked 
by  the  inroads  of  Buccleuch,  and  his  attachment  to  the  cause  of  Queen 
Mary,  destroyed  the  castle,  and  laid  waste  the  lands  of  Branksome.  In 
the  same  year  the  castle  was  repaired  and  enlarged  by  Sir  Walter  Scott, 
its  brave  possessor;  but  the  work  was  not  completed  until  after  his  death, 
in  1574,  when  the  widow  finished  the  building.  This  appears  from  the 
following  inscriptions.  Around  a  stone,  bearing  the  arms  of  Scott  of  Buc- 
cleuch, appears  the  following  legend:  —  "  $ir  M.  Stott  of  ^rantbrim  ^ngt 
oc  of  Sir  Milliam  ^cott  of  Xurkurt)  S.ngt  brgan  jic  toork  upon  nc  24  of  glarrbe 
15 Zl  5itr  quba  brpartit  nt  (Sob's  pldsour  -at  Xl  ;^pril  15 Z4."  On  a  similar 
copartment  are  sculptured  the  arms  of  Douglas,  with  this  inscription, 
"Dame  Margaret  Douglas  his  spous  completit  the  forsaid  work 
IN  October  1576."  Over  an  arched  door  is  inscribed  the  following 
moral  verse  :  — 

"  |n.  barlb.  is.  notbt.  nature,  bcs.  farongbt.  pat.  sal.  Irst.  ag. 
Kbarrfort.  scrbc.  60b.  lutp.  facil.  Dt.  rob.  tbg.  famr.  sal.  norbt.  bthag. 
Sir  Maltcr  Scot  of  graiubolm  ^nigbt.     I^largartt  Jlouglas.   15  tl." 

Branksome  Castle  continued  to  be  the  principal  seat  of  the  Buccleuch 
family,  while  security  was  any  object  in  their  choice  of  a  mansion.  It  has 
since  been  the  residence  of  the  Commissioners,  or  Chamberlains  of  the 
family.  From  the  various  alterations  which  the  building  has  undergone, 
it  is  not  only  greatly  restricted  in  its  dimensions,  but  retains  little  of  the 
castellated  form,  if  we  except  one  square  tower  of  massy  thickness,  the 
only  part  of  the  original  building  which  now  remains.  The  whole  forms 
a  handsome  modern  residence,  lately  inhabited  by  my  deceased  friend, 
Adam  Ogilvy,  Esq.,  of  Ilartwoodmyres,  Commissioner  of  his  Grace  the 
Duke  of  Buccleuch. 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  173 

The  extent  of  the  ancient  edifice  can  still  be  traced  by  some  vestiges  of 
its  foundation,  and  its  strength  is  obvious  from  the  situation,  on  a  deep 
bank  surrounded  by  the  Teviot,  and  flanked  by  a  deep  ravine,  formed  by  a 
precipitous  brook.  It  was  anciently  surrounded  by  wood,  as  appears  from 
the  survey  of  Roxburghshire,  made  for  Font's  Atlas,  and  preserved  in  the 
Advocates'  Library.  This  wood  was  cut  about  fifty  years  ago,  but  is  now 
replaced  by  the  thriving  plantations,  which  have  been  formed  by  the  noble 
proprietor,  for  miles  around  the  ancient  mansion  of  his  forefathers. 


Note  B. 

Ninc-and-hLiculy  knights  of  fain  e 

Hung  their  shields  in  Branksonie-Hall.  —  P.  36. 

The  ancient  Barons  of  Buccleuch,  both  from  feudal  splendor,  and  from 
their  frontier  situation,  retained  in  their  household,  at  Branksome,  a  num- 
ber of  gentlemen  of  their  own  name,  who  held  lands  from  their  chief,  for 
the  military  service  of  watching  and  warding  his  castle.  Satchells  tells  us, 
in  his  doggerel  poetry, — 

"  No  baron  was  better  served  in  Britain; 
The  barons  of  Buckleugh  they  kept  their  call, 
Four  and  twenty  gentlemen  in  their  hall. 
All  being  of  his  name  and  kin; 
Each  two  had  a  servant  to  wait  upon  them; 
Before  supper  and  dinner,  most  renowned, 
The  bells  rung  and  the  trumpets  sowned; 
And  more  than  that,  I  do  confess, 
They  kept  four  and  twenty  pensioners. 
Think  not  I  lie,  nor  do  me  blame, 
For  the  pensioners  I  can  all  name; 
There's  men  alive,  elder  than  I, 
They  know  if  I  speak  truth,  or  lie. 
Every  pensioner  a  room  '  did  gain, 
For  service  done  and  to  be  done ; 
This  let  the  reader  understand, 
The  name  both  of  the  men  and  land. 
Which  they  possessed,  it  is  of  truth. 
Both  from  the  Lairds  and  Lords  of  Buckleugh." 

Accordingly,  dismounting  from  his  Pegasus,  Satchells  gives  us  in  prose 
the  names  of  twenty-four  gentlemen,  younger  brothers  of  ancient  families, 
who  were  pensioners  to  the  house  of  Buccleuch,  and  describes  the  lands 

'  Room,  portion  of  land. 


i^n 


THE  LAY  OF 


which  each  possessed  for  his  Border  service.  In  time  of  war  with  Eng- 
land, the  garrison  was  doubtless  augmented.  Satchells  adds,  "These 
twenty-three  pensioners,  all  of  his  own  name  of  Scott,  and  Walter  Glad- 
stanes  of  Whitelaw,  a  near  cousin  of  my  lord's,  as  aforesaid,  were  ready  on 
all  occasions,  when  his  honor  pleased  cause  to  advertise  them.  It  is 
known  to  many  of  the  country  better  than  it  is  to  me,  that  the  rent  of  these 
lands  which  the  Lairds  and  Lords  of  Buccleuch  did  freely  bestow  upon 
their  friends,  will  amount  to  alsove  twelve  or  fourteen  thousand  merks 
a  year."  — History  of  the  Name  of  Scott,  p.  45.  An  immense  sum  in  those 
times. 

Note  C. 

They  watch,  against  Southern  force  and  guile, 
Lest  Scroop,  or  Howard,  or  Percy^s  powers, 
Threaten  Branksotne''s  lordly  towers, 
From   IVarkworth,  or  Naivorth,  or  Merry  Carlisle.  —  P.  37. 

Branksome  Castle  was  continually  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  the  English, 
both  from  its  situation  and  the  restless  military  disposition  of  its  inhabi- 
tants, who  were  seldom  on  good  terms  with  their  neighbors.  The  follow- 
ing letter  from  the  Earl  of  Northumberland  to  Henry  VIII. ,  in  1533,  gives 
an  account  of  a  successful  inroad  of  the  English,  in  which  the  country  was 
plundered  up  to  the  gates  of  the  castle,  although  the  invaders  failed  in 
their  principal  object,  which  was  to  kill,  or  make  prisoner,  the  Laird  of 
Buccleuch.     It  occurs  in  the  Cotton  MS.  Calig.  B.  VIII.  f.  222. 

"  Pleaseth  yt  your  most  gracious  highness  to  be  aduertised,  that  my 
comptroller,  with  Raynald  Carnaby,  desyred  licence  of  me  to  invade  the 
realme  of  Scotland,  for  the  annoysaunce  of  your  highnes  enemys,  where 
they  thought  best  exploit  by  theyme  might  be  done,  and  to  haue  to  concur 
withe  theyme  the  inhabitants  of  Northumberland,  suche  as  was  towards  me 
according  to  theyre  assembly,  and  as  by  theyre  discretions  vpone  the  same 
they  shulde  thinke  most  convenient;  and  soo  they  dyde  meet  vppon  Mon- 
day, before  night,  being  the  iii  day  of  this  instant  monethe,  at  Wawhope, 
upon  Northe  Tyne  water,  above  Tyndaill,  where  they  were  to  the  number 
of  XV  c  men,  and  soo  invadet  Scotland  at  the  hour  of  viii  of  the  clok  at 
nyght,  at  a  place  called  Whele  Causay;  and  before  xi  of  the  clok  dyd  send 
forth  a  forrey  of  Tyndaill  and  Ryddisdail,  and  laide  all  the  resydewe  in  a 
bushment,  and  actyvely  did  set  vpon  a  towne  called  Branxholm,  where  the 
Lord  of  Buclough  dwellythe,  and  purpesed  Iheymselves  with  a  trayne  for 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


175 


hym  lyke  to  his  accustomed  manner,  in  rysynge  to  all  frayes;  albeit,  that 
knyght  he  was  not  at  home,  and  so  they  brynt  the  said  Branxholm,  and 
other  townes,  as  to  say  Whichestie,  Whichestre-helme,  and  Whelley,  and 
haid  ordered  theymeself,  soo  that  sundry  of  the  said  Lord  Buclough's  ser- 
vants, who  dyd  issue  fourthe  of  his  gates,  was  takyn  prisoners.  They  dyd 
not  leve  one  house,  one  stak  of  come,  nor  one  shyef,  without  the  gate  of 
the  said  Lord  Buclough  vnbrynt;  and  thus  scrymaged  and  frayed,  sup- 
posing the  Lord  of  Buclough  to  be  within  iii  or  iiii  myles  to  have  trayned 
him  to  the  bushment;  and  soo  in  the  breyking  of  the  day  dyd  the  forrey 
and  the  bushment  mete,  and  reculed  homeward,  making  their  way  west- 
ward from  theyre  invasion  to  be  over  Lyddersdaill,  as  intending  yf  the  fray 
frome  theyre  furst  entry  by  the  Scotts  waiches,  or  otherwise  by  warnying, 
shulde  haue  bene  gyven  to  Gedworth  and  the  countrey  of  Scotland  theyre- 
abouts  of  theyre  invasion;  whiche  Gedworth  is  from  the  Wheles  Causay  vi 
myles,  that  thereby  the  Scots  shulde  have  comen  fiirther  vnto  theyme,  and 
more  out  of  ordre;  and  soo  upon  sundry  good  considerations,  before  they 
entered  Lyddersdaill,  as  well  accompting  the  inhabitants  of  the  same  to 
be  towards  your  highness,  and  to  enforce  theyme  the  more  thereby,  as 
alsoo  to  put  an  occasion  of  suspect  to  the  Kinge  of  Scotts,  and  his  coun- 
saill,  to  be  taken  anenst  theyme,  amonges  theymeselves,  made  proclama- 
cions,  commanding,  vpon  payne  of  dethe,  assurance  to  be  for  the  said 
inhabitants  of  Lyddersdaill,  without  any  prejudice  or  hurt  to  be  done  by 
any  Inglysman  vnto  theyme,  and  soo  in  good  ordre  abowte  the  howre  of 
ten  of  the  clok  before  none,  vppone  Tewisday,  dyd  pass  through  the  said 
Lyddersdail,  when  dyd  come  diverse  of  the  said  inhabitants  there  to  my 
servauntes,  under  the  said  assurance,  offering  theymselfs  with  any  service 
they  couthe  make ;  and  thus,  thanks  be  to  Godde,  your  highnes'  subjects, 
abowte  the  howre  of  xii  of  the  clok  at  none  the  same  daye,  came  into  this 
your  highnes  realme,  bringing  wt  theyme  above  xl  Scottsmen  prisoners, 
one  of  theyme  named  Scot,  of  the  surname  and  kyn  of  the  said  Lord  of 
Buclough,  and  of  his  howsehold ;  they  brought  also  ccc  nowte,  and  above 
Ix  horse  and  mares,  keping  in  savetie  frome  losse  or  hurte  all  your  said 
highnes  subjects.  There  was  alsoo  a  towne,  called  Newbyggins,  by 
diverse  fotmen  of  Tyndaill  and  Ryddesdaill,  takyn  vp  of  the  night,  and 
spoyled,  when  was  slayne  ii  Scottsmen  of  the  said  towne,  and  many  Scotts 
there  hurte;  your  highnes  subjects  was  xiii  myles  within  the  grounde  of 
Scotlande,  and  is  from  my  house  at  Werkworthe,  above  Ix  miles  of  the 
most  evil  passage,  where  great  snawes  doth  lye;  heretofore  the  same 
townes  now  brynt  haith  not  at  any  tyme  in  the  mynd  of  man  in  any  warrs 
been  enterprised  unto  nowe;    your  subjects  were  thereto  more  encouraged 


176  THE  LAY  OF 


for  the  better  advancement  of  your  highnes  service,  the  said  Lord  of 
Buclough  beyng  always  a  mortall  enemy  to  this  your  Graces  realme,  and 
he  dyd  say,  within  xiii  days  before,  he  woulde  see  who  durst  lye  near  hym; 
wt  many  other  cruell  words,  the  knowledge  whereof  was  certainly  haid  to 
my  said  servaunts,  before  theyre  enterprice  maid  vpon  him;  most  humbly 
beseeching  your  majesty,  that  youre  highnes  thanks  may  concur  vnto 
theyme,  whose  names  be  here  inclosed,  and  to  have  in  your  most  gracious 
memory,  the  paynfuU  and  diligent  service  of  my  pore  servaunte  Wharton, 
and  thus,  as  I  am  most  bounden,  shall  dispose  wt  them  that  be  under  me 
f  .  .  .  annoysaunce  of  your  highnes  enemys."  In  resentment  of  this  foray, 
Buccleuch,  with  other  Border  chiefs,  assembled  an  army  of  3000  riders, 
with  which  they  penetrated  into  Northumberland,  and  laid  waste  the 
country  as  far  as  the  banks  of  Bramish.  They  baffled,  or  defeated,  the 
English  forces  opposed  to  them,  and  returned  loaded  with  prey.  —  Pink- 
erton's  History,  vol.  ii.  p.  318. 

Note  D. 

Baj-ds  long  shall  tell, 

Ho%o  Lord  Walter  fell.— V.  38. 

Sir  Walter  Scott  of  Buccleuch  succeeded  to  his  grandfather,  Sir  David, 
in  1492.  He  was  a  brave  and  powerful  baron,  and  Warden  of  the  West 
Marches  of  Scotland.  His  death  was  the  consequence  of  a  feud  betwixt 
the  Scotts  and  Kerrs,  the  history  of  which  is  necessary  to  explain  repeated 
allusions  in  the  romance. 

In  the  year  1526,  in  the  words  of  Pitscottie,  "  the  Earl  of  Augus,  and  the 
rest  of  the  Douglasses,  ruled  all  which  they  liked,  and  no  man  durst  say 
the  contrary;  wherefore  the  King  (James  V.,  then  a  minor)  was  heavily 
displeased,  and  would  fain  have  been  out  of  their  hands,  if  he  might  by 
any  way :  And,  to  that  effect,  wrote  a  quiet  and  secret  letter  with  his  own 
hand,  and  sent  it  to  the  Laird  of  Buccleuch,  beseeching  him  that  he  would 
come  with  his  kin  and  friends,  and  all  the  force  that  he  might  be,  and  meet 
him  at  Melross,  at  his  home-passing,  and  there  to  take  him  out  of  the 
Douglasses  hands,  and  to  put  him  to  liberty,  to  use  himself  among  the  lave 
{rest)  of  his  lords,  as  he  thinks  expedient. 

"  This  letter  was  quietly  directed,  and  sent  by  one  of  the  King's  own 
secret  servants,  which  was  received  very  thankfully  by  the  Laird  of  Buc- 
cleuch, who  was  very  glad  thereof,  to  be  put  to  such  charges  and  familiarity 
with  his  prince,  and  did  great  diligence  to  perform  the  King's  writing,  and 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


177 


to  bring  the  matter  to  pass  as  the  King  desired  :  And,  to  that  effect,  con- 
vened all  his  kin  and  friends,  and  all  that  would  do  for  him,  to  ride  with 
him  to  Melioss,  when  he  knew  of  the  King's  homecoming.  And  so  he 
brought  with  him  six  hundred  spears,  of  Liddesdale,  and  Annandale,  and 
countrymen,  and  clans  thereabout,  and  held  themselves  quiet  while  that 
the  King  returned  out  of  Jedburgh,  and  came  to  Melross,  to  remain  there 
all  that  night. 

"  But  when  the  Lord  Hume,  Cessfoord,  and  Fernyherst  (the  chiefs  of 
the  clan  of  Kerr),  took  their  leave  of  the  King,  and  returned  home,  then 
appeared  the  Lord  of  Buccleuch  in  sight,  and  his  company  with  him,  in  an 
arrayed  battle,  intending  to  have  fulfilled  the  King's  petition,  and  therefore 
came  stoutly  forward  on  the  back  side  of  Haliden  hill.  By  that  the  Earl 
of  Angus,  with  George  Douglas,  his  brother,  and  sundry  other  of  his  friends, 
seeing  this  army  coming,  they  marvelled  what  the  matter  meant;  while  at 
last  they  knew  the  Laird  of  Buccleuch,  with  a  certain  company  of  the 
thieves  of  Annandale.  With  him  they  were  less  affeared,  and  made  them 
manfully  to  the  field  contrary  them,  and  said  to  the  King  in  this  manner, 
'  Sir,  yon  is  Buccleuch,  and  thieves  of  Annandale  with  him,  to  unbeset  your 
Grace  from  the  gate  '  {i.e.  interrupt  your  passage).  '  I  vow  to  God  they 
shall  either  fight  or  flee;  and  ye  shall  tarry  here  on  this  know,  and  my 
brother  George  with  you,  with  any  other  company  you  please;  and  I  shall 
pass,  and  put  yon  thieves  off  the  ground,  and  rid  the  gate  unto  your  Grace, 
or  else  die  for  it.'  The  King  tarried  still,  as  was  devised;  and  George 
Douglas  with  him,  and  sundry  other  lords,  such  as  the  Earl  of  Lennox, 
and  the  Lord  Erskine,  and  some  of  the  King's  own  servants;  but  all  the 
lave  {resl)  past  with  the  Earl  of  Angus  to  the  field  against  the  Laird  of 
Buccleuch,  who  joyned  and  countered  cruelly  both  the  said  parties  in  the 
field  of  Darnelinver,!  either  against  other,  with  uncertain  victory.  But  at 
the  last  the  Lord  Hume,  hearing  word  of  that  matter  how  it  stood,  returned 
again  to  the  King  in  all  possible  haste,  with  him  the  Lairds  of  Cessfoord 
and  Fernyhirst,  to  the  number  of  fourscore  spears,  and  set  freshly  on  the 
lap  and  wing  of  the  Laird  of  Buccleuch's  field,  and  shortly  bare  them  back- 
ward to  the  ground;  which  caused  the  Laird  of  Buccleuch,  and  the  rest  of 
his  friends,  to  go  back  and  flee,  whom  they  followed  and  chased;  and 
especially  the  Lairds  of  Cessfoord  and  Fernyhirst  followed  furiouslie,  till  at 
the  foot  of  a  path  the  Laird  of  Cessfoord  was  slain  by  the  stroke  of  a  spear 

1  Darnwick,  near  Melrose.  The  place  of  conflict  is  still  called  Skinner's  Field,  from  a 
corruption  of  Skirinisk  Field.  See  the  Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border,  vols, 
i.  and  ii.,  for  further  particulars  concerning  these  places,  of  all  which  the  author  of  the 
Lay  was  ultimately  proprietor.  —  Ed. 


178 


THE  LAV  OF 


by  an  Elliot,  who  was  then  servant  to  the  Laird  of  Buccleuch.  But  when 
the  Laird  of  Cessfoord  was  slain,  the  chase  ceased.  The  Earl  of  Angus 
returned  again  with  great  merriness  and  victory,  and  thanked  God  that  he 
saved  him  from  that  chance,  and  passed  with  the  King  to  Melross,  where 
they  remained  all  that  night.  On  the  morn  they  past  to  Edinburgh  with 
the  King,  who  was  very  sad  and  dolorous  of  the  slaughter  of  the  Laird  of 
Cessfoord,  and  many  other  gentlemen  and  yeomen  slain  by  the  Laird  of 
Buccleuch,  containing  the  number  of  fourscore  and  fifteen,  wiiich  died  in 
defence  of  the  King,  and  at  the  command  of  his  writing." 

I  am  not  the  first  who  has  attempted  to  celebrate  in  verse  the  renown  of 
this  ancient  baron,  and  his  hazardous  attempt  to  procure  his  sovereign's 
freedom.     In  a  Scottish  Latin  poet  we  find  the  following  verses :  — 

Valterius  Scotus  Balcluchius. 

Egregio  suscepto  facinore,  libertate  Regis,  ac  aliis  rebus  gestis  clarus,  sub  Jacobo 
V.  A°.  Christi,  1526. 

"  Intentata  aliis,  nullique  audita  priorum 

Audet,  nee  pavidum  morsve,  metusve  quatit, 
Libertatem  aliis  soliti  transcribere  Regis: 

Subreptara  banc  Regi  restituisse  paras: 
Si  vincis,  quanta  6  succedunt  praemia  dextrae! 

Sin  victus,  falsas  spes  jace,  pone  animam. 
Hostica  vis  nocuit:   stant  altae  robora  mentis 

Atque  decus.     Vincet,  Rege  probante,  fides. 
Insita  quels  animis  virtus,  quosque  acrior  ardor 

Obsidet,  obscuris  nox  premat  an  tenebris?  " 

Heroes  ex  omni  Historia  Scotica,  lectissimi,  Auctore  Johan.  Jonstonio  Abredonense 
Scoto,  1603. 

In  consequence  of  the  battle  of  Melrose,  there  ensued  a  deadly  feud  be- 
twixt the  names  of  Scott  and  Kerr,  which,  in  spite  of  all  means  used  to 
bring  about  an  agreement,  raged  for  many  years  upon  the  Borders.  Buc- 
cleuch was  imprisoned,  and  his  estates  forfeited,  in  the  year  1535,  for  levy- 
ing war  against  the  Kerrs,  and  restored  by  act  of  Parliament,  dated  15th 
March,  1542,  during  the  regency  of  Mary  of  Lorraine.  But  the  most  signal 
act  of  violence,  to  which  this  quarrel  gave  rise,  was  the  murder  of  Sir 
Walter  himself,  who  was  slain  by  the  Kerrs  in  the  streets  of  Edinburgh  in 
1552.  This  is  the  event  alluded  to  in  stanza  vii.;  and  the  poem  is  supposed 
to  open  shortly  after  it  had  taken  place. 

The  feud  between  these  two  families  was  not  reconciled  in  1596,  when 
both  chieftains  paraded  the  streets  of  Edinburgh  with  their  followers,  and  it 
was  expected  their  first  meeting  would  decide  their  quarrel.      But,  on  July 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


179 


14th  of  the  same  year,  Colvil,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Bacon,  informs  him,  "  that 
there  was  great  trouble  upon  the  Borders,  which  would  continue  till  order 
should  be  taken  by  the  Queen  of  England  and  the  King,  by  reason  of  the 
two  young  Scots  chieftains,  Cesford  and  Baclugh,  and  of  the  present  neces- 
sity and  scarcity  of  corn  amongst  the  Scots  Borderers  and  riders.  That 
there  had  been  a  private  quarrel  betwixt  those  two  lairds  on  the  Borders, 
which  was  like  to  have  turned  to  blood;  but  the  fear  of  the  general  trouble 
had  reconciled  them,  and  the  injuries  which  they  thought  to  have  com- 
mitted against  each  other  were  now  transferred  upon  England :  not  unlike 
that  emulation  in  France  between  the  Baron  de  Biron  and  Mons.  Jeverie, 
who,  being  both  amVjitious  of  honor,  undertook  more  hazardous  enterprises 
against  the  enemy,  than  they  would  have  done  if  they  had  been  at  concord 
together."  —  Birch's  Memorials,  vol.  ii.  p.  67. 

Note  E. 

Of  Bethune's  line  of  Pica^-die.  —  P.  41. 

The  Bethunes  were  of  French  origin,  and  derived  their  name  from  a 
small  town  in  Artois.  There  were  several  distinguished  families  of  the 
Bethunes  in  the  neighboring  province  of  Picardy;  they  numbered  among 
their  descendants  the  celebrated  Due  de  Sully;  and  the  name  was  ac- 
counted among  the  most  noble  in  France,  while  aught  noble  remained  in 
that  country.'  The  family  of  Bethune,  or  Beatoun,in  Fife,  produced  three 
learned  and  dignified  prelates;  namely,  Cardinal  Beaton,  and  two  suc- 
cessive Archbishops  of  Glasgow,  all  of  whom  flourished  about  the  date  of 
the  romance.  Of  this  family  was  descended  Dame  Janet  Beaton,  Lady 
Buccleuch,  widow  of  Sir  Walter  Scott  of  Branksome.  She  was  a  woman 
of  masculine  spirit,  as  appeared  from  her  riding  at  the  head  of  her  son's 
clan,  after  her  husband's  murder.  She  also  possessed  the  hereditary 
abilities  of  her  family  in  such  a  degree,  that  the  superstition  of  the  vul- 
gar imputed  them  to  supernatural  knowledge.  With  this  was  mingled, 
by  faction,  the  foul  accusation  of  her  having  influenced  Queen  Mary  to 
the  murder  of  her  husband.  One  of  the  placards,  preserved  in  Buchanan's 
Detection,  accuses  of  Darnley's  murder  "  the  Erie  of  Bothwell,  Mr.  James 
Balfour,  the  persoun  of  Fliske,  Mr.  David  Chalmers,  black  Mr.  John  Spens, 
who  was  principal  deviser  of  the  murder;  and  the  Quene,  assenting  thairto, 
throw  the  persuasion  of  the  Erie  Bothwell,  and  the  luitchcraft  of  Lady 
Buckleuch." 

1  This  expression  and  sentiment  were  dictated  by  the  situation  of  France,  in  the  year 
1803,  when  the  poem  was  originally  written.     1821. 


l8o  THE  LAY  OF 


Note  F. 

The  vieivless  fortns  of  air.  —  P.  42. 

The  Scottish  vulgar,  without  having  any  very  defined  notion  of  their  at- 
tributes, beheve  in  the  existence  of  an  intermediate  class  of  spirits  residing 
in  the  air,  or  in  the  waters;  to  whose  agency  they  ascribe  floods,  storms, 
and  all  such  phenomena  as  their  own  philosophy  cannot  readily  explain. 
They  are  supposed  to  interfere  in  the  affairs  of  mortals,  sometimes  with  a 
malevolent  purpose,  and  sometimes  with  milder  views.  It  is  said,  for  ex- 
ample, that  a  gallant  baron,  having  returned  from  the  Holy  Land  to  his 
castle  of  Drummelziar,  found  his  fair  lady  nursing  a  healthy  child,  whose 
birth  did  not  by  any  means  correspond  to  the  date  of  his  departure.  Such 
an  occurrence,  to  the  credit  of  the  dames  of  the  Crusaders  be  it  spoken, 
was  so  rare,  that  it  required  a  miraculous  solution.  The  lady,  therefore, 
was  believed,  when  she  averred  confidently,  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Tweed 
had  issued  from  the  river  while  she  was  walking  upon  its  bank,  and  com- 
pelled her  to  submit  to  his  embraces :  and  the  name  of  Tweedie  was  be- 
stowed upon  the  child,  who  afterwards  became  Baron  of  Drummelziar,  and 
chief  of  a  powerful  clan.     To  those  spirits  were  also  ascribed,  in  Scotland, 

the 

—  "Airy  tongues,  that  syllable  men's  names, 
On  sands,  and  shores,  and  desert  wildernesses." 

When  the  workmen  were  engaged  in  erecting  the  ancient  church  of  Old 
Deer,  in  Aberdeenshire,  upon  a  small  hill  called  Bissau,  they  were  surprised 
to  find  that  the  work  was  impeded  by  supernatural  obstacles.  At  length, 
the  Spirit  of  the  River  was  heard  to  say, 

"  It  is  not  here,  it  is  not  here, 
That  ye  shall  build  the  church  of  Deer; 
But  on  Taptillery, 
Where  many  a  corpse  shall  lie." 

The  site  of  the  edifice  was  accordingly  transferred  to  Taptillery,  an  emi- 
nence at  some  distance  from  the  place  where  the  building  had  been  com- 
menced. —  Macfarlane's  MSS.  I  mention  these  popular  fables,  because 
the  introduction  of  the  River  and  Mountain  Spirits  may  not,  at  first  sight, 
seem  to  accord  with  the  general  tone  of  the  romance,  and  the  superstitions 
of  the  country  where  the  scene  is  laid. 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


I8l 


Note  G. 

A  fancied  moss-trooper,  (S-'r.  —  P.  44. 

This  was  the  usual  appellation  of  the  marauders  upon  the  Borders;  a 
profession  diligently  pursued  by  the  inhabitants  on  both  sides,  and  by  none 
more  actively  and  successfully  than  by  Buccleuch's  clan.  Long  after  the 
union  of  the  crowns,  the  moss-tioopers,  although  sunk  in  reputation,  and 
no  longer  enjoying  the  pretext  of  national  hostility,  continued  to  pursue 
their  calling. 

Fuller  includes  among  the  wonders  of  Cumberland,  "The  moss-troopers; 
so  strange  in  the  condition  of  their  living,  if  considered  in  their  Original, 
Increase,  Height,  Decay,  and  Riiinc. 

"  I.  Original.  I  conceive  them  the  same  called  Borderers  in  Mr.  Cam- 
den; and  characterised  by  him  to  be  a  xvild  and  warli/ce  people.  They 
are  called  ?noss-iroopers,  because  dwelling  in  the  mosses,  and  riding  in 
troops  together.  They  dwell  in  the  bounds,  or  meeting,  of  the  two  king- 
doms, but  obey  the  laws  of  neither.  They  come  to  church  as  seldom  as 
the  29th  of  February  comes  into  the  kalendar. 

"  2.  Increase.  When  England  and  Scotland  were  united  in  Great  Britain, 
they  that  formerly  lived  by  hostile  incursions,  betook  themselves  to  the 
robbing  of  their  neighbours.  Their  sons  are  free  of  the  trade  by  their 
fathers'  copy.  They  are  like  to  Job,  not  in  piety  and  patience,  but  in  sud- 
den plenty  and  poverty;  sometimes  having  flocks  and  herds  in  the  morn- 
ing, none  at  night,  and  perchance  many  again  next  day.  They  may  give 
for  their  motto,  vivitur  ex  rapto,  stealing  from  their  honest  neighbours 
what  they  sometimes  require.  They  are  a  nest  of  hornets;  strike  one,  and 
stir  all  of  them  about  your  ears.  Indeed,  if  they  promise  safely  to  conduct 
a  traveller,  they  will  perform  it  with  the  fidelity  of  a  Turkish  janizary; 
otherwise,  woe  be  to  him  that  falleth  into  their  quarters ! 

"  3.  Height.  Amounting,  forty  years  since,  to  some  thousands.  These 
compelled  the  vicinage  to  purchase  their  security,  by  paying  a  constant 
rent  to  them.  When  in  their  greatest  height,  they  had  two  great  enemies, 
—  the  Laws  of  the  Land,  and  the  Lord  William  Hoivard  of  Naworth. 
He  sent  many  of  them  to  Carlisle,  to  that  place  where  the  officer  doth 
always  his  work  by  daylight.  Yet  these  moss-troopers,  if  possibly  they 
could  procure  the  pardon  for  a  condemned  person  of  their  company,  would 
advance  great  sums  out  of  their  common  stock,  who,  in  such  a  case,  cast 
in  their  lots  amongst  themselves,  and  all  have  one  purse. 


1 82  THE  LAY  OF 


"  4.  Decay.  Caused  by  the  wisdom,  valour,  and  diligence  of  the  Right 
Honourable  Charles  Lord  Howard,  Earl  of  Carlisle,  who  routed  these 
English  Tories  with  his  regiment.  His  severity  unto  them  will  not  only 
be  excused,  but  commended,  by  the  judicious,  who  consider  how  our  great 
lawyer  doth  describe  such  persons,  who  are  solemnly  outlawed.  Bracton, 
lib.  viii.  trac.  2.  cap.  II.  —  ^ Ex  tiitic  gerunt  caput  lupiniun,  ita  quod  sine 
judiciali  inquisitione  rite  pereant,  et  sectim  suurn  judicium  poi'tent ;  et 
merito  sine  lege  pcreunt,  qui  secundum  legem  vivero  recusdrunt.^  — 
'Thenceforward  (after  that  they  are  outlawed)  they  wear  a  wolf's  head, 
so  that  they  lawfully  may  be  destroyed,  without  any  judicial  inquisition,  as 
who  carry  their  own  condemnation  about  them,  and  deservedly  die  with- 
out law,  because  they  refused  to  live  according  to  law.' 

"5.  Ruine.  Such  was  the  success  of  this  worthy  lord's  severity,  that  he 
made  a  thorough  reformation  among  them;  and  the  ringleaders  being 
destroyed,  the  rest  are  reduced  to  legal  obedience,  and  so,  I  trust,  will 
continue." — Fuller's  Worthies  of  England,  p.  216. 

The  last  public  mention  of  moss-troopers  occurs  during  the  civil  wars  of 
the  17th  century,  when  many  ordinances  of  Parliament  were  directed 
against  them. 

Note  H. 

William  of  Deloraine.  —  P.  45. 

The  lands  of  Deloraine  are  joined  to  those  of  Buccleuch  in  Ettrick 
Forest.  They  were  immemorially  possessed  by  the  Buccleuch  family, 
under  the  strong  title  of  occupancy,  although  no  charter  was  obtained 
from  the  crown  until  1545.  Like  other  possessions,  the  lands  of  Deloraine 
were  occasionally  granted  by  them  to  vassals,  or  kinsmen,  for  Border  ser- 
vice. Satchells  mentions,  among  the  twenty-four  gentlemen-pensioners  of 
the  family,  "  William  Scott,  commonly  called  Cut-at-the-Black,  who  had 
the  lands  of  Nether  Deloraine,  for  his  service."  And  again,  "This  Wil- 
liam of  Deloraine,  commonly  called  Cut-at-the-Black,  was  a  brother  of  the 
ancient  house  of  Haining,  which  house  of  Hainiiig  is  descended  from  the 
ancient  house  of  Hassendean."  The  lands  of  Deloraine  now  give  an 
earl's  title  to  the  descendant  of  Henry,  the  second  surviving  son  of  the 
Duchess  of  Buccleuch  and  Monmouth.  I  have  endeavored  to  give  Wil- 
liam of  Deloraine  the  attributes  which  characterized  the  Borderers  of  his 
day;  for  which  I  can  only  plead  Froissart's  apology,  that,  "it  behoveth,  in 
a  lynage,  some  to  be  folyshe  and  outrageous,  to  maynteyne  and  sustayne 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  183 

the  peasable."  As  a  contrast  to  my  Marchman,  I  beg  leave  to  transcribe, 
from  the  same  author,  the  speech  of  Amergot  Marcell,  a  captain  of  the 
Adventurous  Companions,  a  robber,  and  a  pillager  of  the  country  of 
Auvergne,  who  had  been  bribed  to  sell  his  strongholds,  and  to  assume  a 
more  honorable  military  life  under  the  banners  of  the  Earl  of  Armagnac. 
But  "when  he  remembered  alle  this,  he  was  sorrowful;  his  tresour  he 
thought  he  wolde  not  mynysshe ;  he  was  wonte  dayly  to  serche  for  newe 
pyllages,  wherbye  encresed  his  profyte,  and  then  he  sawe  that  alle  was 
closed  fro'  hym.  Then  he  sayde  and  imagyned,  that  to  pyll  and  to  robbe 
(all  thynge  considered)  was  a  good  lyfe,  and  so  repented  hym  of  his  good 
doing.  On  a  tyme,  he  said  to  his  old  companyons,  '  Sirs,  there  is  no 
sporte  nor  glory  in  this  worlde  amonge  men  of  warre,  but  to  use  suche  lyfe 
as  we  have  done  in  tyme  past.  What  a  joy  was  it  to  us  when  we  rode 
forth  at  adventure,  and  somtyme  found  by  the  way  a  riche  priour  or  mer- 
chaunt,  or  a  route  of  mulettes  of  IMountpellyer,  of  Narbonne,  of  Lymens, 
of  Fongans,  of  Besyers,  of  Tholous,  or  of  Carcasonne,  laden  with  cloth  of 
Brussels,  or  peltre  ware  comynge  fro  the  fayres,  or  laden  with  spycery  fro 
Bruges,  fro  Damas,  or  fro  Alysaundre;  whatsoever  we  met,  all  was  ours, 
or  els  ransoumed  at  our  pleasures;  dayly  we  gate  new  money,  and  the 
vyllaynes  of  Auvergne  and  of  Lymosyn  dayly  provyded  and  brought  to 
our  castell  whete  mele,  good  wynes,  beffes,  and  fatte  mottons,  pullayne, 
and  wylde  foule :  We  were  ever  furnyshed  as  tho  we  had  been  kings. 
When  we  rode  forthe,  all  the  countrey  trymbled  for  feare :  all  was  ours 
goyng  and  comyng.  How  tok  we  Carlast,  I  and  the  Bourge  of  Companye, 
and  I  and  Perot  or  Bernoys  took  Caluset;  how  dyd  we  scale,  with  lytell 
ayde,  the  strong  castell  of  Marquell,  pertayning  to  the  Erl  Dolphyn  :  I 
kept  it  nat  past  fyve  days,  but  I  receyved  for  it,  on  a  fey  re  table,  fyve 
thousande  frankes,  and  forgave  one  thousande  for  the  love  of  the  Erl 
Dolphyn's  children.  By  my  fayth,  this  was  a  fayre  and  a  good  lyfe ! 
wherefore  I  repute  myselfe  sore  deceyved,  in  that  I  have  rendered  up  the 
fortress  of  Aloys;  for  it  wolde  have  kept  fro  alle  the  worlde,  and  the  daye 
that  I  gave  it  up,  it  was  fournyshed  with  vytaylles,  to  have  been  kept  seven 
yere  without  re-vytayllinge.  This  Erl  of  Armynake  hath  deceyved  me : 
Olyve  Barbe,  and  Perot  le  Bernoys,  shewed  to  me  how  I  shulde  repente 
myselfe:  certayne  I  sore  repente  myselfe  of  what  I  have  done.'  "  —  Frois- 
SART,  vol.  ii.  p.  195. 


1 84 


THE  LAY  OF 


Note  I. 

By  wily  turns,  by  desperate  bounds, 

Had  baffled  Percy's  best  blood-hounds.  —  P.  45. 

The  kings  and  heroes  of  Scotland,  as  well  as  the  Border-riders,  were 
sometimes  obliged  to  study  how  to  evade  the  pursuit  of  blood-hounds. 
Barbour  informs  us,  that  Robert  Bruce  was  repeatedly  tracked  by  sleuth- 
dogs.  On  one  occasion,  he  escaped  by  wading  a  bow-shot  down  a  brook, 
and  ascending  into  a  tree  by  a  branch  which  overhung  the  water;  thus 
leaving  no  trace  on  land  of  his  footsteps,  he  baffled  the  scent.  The  pur- 
suers came  up :  — 

"  Rycht  to  the  bum  thai  passyt  ware, 
Bot  the  sleuth-hund  made  stinting  thar, 
And  wauer>'t  lang  tyme  ta  and  fra, 
That  he  na  certain  gate  couth  ga; 
Till  at  the  last  that  John  of  Lome 
Perseuvit  the  hund  the  sleuth  had  lome." 

The  Bruce,  Book  vii. 

A  sure  way  of  stopping  the  dog  was  to  spill  blood  upon  the  track,  which 
destroyed  the  discriminating  fineness  of  his  scent.  A  captive  was  some- 
times sacrificed  on  such  occasions.  Henry  the  Minstrel  tells  a  romantic 
story  of  Wallace,  founded  on  this  circumstance:  — The  hero's  little  band 
had  been  joined  by  an  Irishman,  named  Fawdoun,  or  Fadzean,  a  dark, 
savage,  and  suspicious  character.  After  a  sharp  skirmish  at  Black- Erne 
Side,  Wallace  was  forced  to  retreat  with  only  sixteen  followers.  The 
English  pursued  with  a  Border  sleiith-bratch,  or  blood-hound. 

"  In  Gelderland  there  was  that  bratchet  bred, 
Siker  of  scent,  to  follow  them  that  fled; 
So  was  he  used  in  Eske  and  Liddesdail, 
While  (i.e.,  till)  she  gat  blood  no  fleeing  might  avail." 

In  the  retreat,  Fawdoun,  tired,  or  affecting  to  be  so,  would  go  no 
farther.  Wallace,  having  in  vain  argued  with  him,  in  hasty  anger  struck 
off  his  head,  and  continued  the  retreat.  'When  the  English  came  up,  their 
hound  stayed  upon  the  dead  body :  — 

"  The  sleuth  stopped  at  Fawdon,  still  she  stood, 
Nor  farther  would  fra  time  she  fund  the  blood." 

The  story  concludes  with  a  fine  Gothic  scene  of  terror.  Wallace  took 
refuge  in  the  solitary  tower  of  Cask.     Here  he  was  disturbed  at  midnight 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


185 


by  the  blast  of  a  horn.  He  sent  out  his  attendants  by  two  and  two,  but  no 
one  returned  with  tidings.  At  length,  when  he  was  left  alone,  the  sound 
was  heard  still  louder.  The  champion  descended,  sword  in  hand,  and,  at 
the  gate  of  the  tower,  was  encountered  by  the  headless  spectre  of  Faw- 
doun,  whom  he  had  slain  so  rashly.  Wallace,  in  great  terror,  fled  up  into 
the  tower,  tore  open  the  boards  of  a  window,  leapt  down  fifteen  feet  in 
height,  and  continued  his  flight  up  the  river.  Looking  back  to  Gask,  he 
discovered  the  tower  on  fire,  and  the  form  of  Fawdoun  upon  the  battle- 
ments, dilated  to  an  immense  size,  and  holding  in  his  hand  a  blazing  rafter. 
The  Minstrel  concludes, 

"  Trust  ryght  wele,  that  all  this  be  sooth  indeed. 
Supposing  it  be  no  point  of  the  creed." 

The  Wallace,  Book  v. 

Mr.  Ellis  has  extracted  this  tale  as  a  sample  of  Henry's  poetry.  —  Speci- 
mens of  English  Poetry,  vol.  i.  p.  351. 

Note  K. 

Oti  Minto-crags  the  moon-beams  glint.  —  P.  48. 

A  romantic  assemblage  of  cliffs,  which  rise  suddenly  above  the  vale  of 
Teviot,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  family-seat,  from  which  Lord 
Minto  takes  his  title.  A  small  platform,  on  a  projecting  crag,  command- 
ing a  most  beautiful  prospect,  is  termed  Barnhills''  Bed.  This  Barnhills  is 
said  to  have  been  a  robber,  or  outlaw.  There  are  remains  of  a  strong 
tower  beneath  the  rocks,  where  he  is  supposed  to  have  dwelt,  and  from 
which  he  derived  his  name.  On  the  summit  of  the  crags  are  the  frag- 
ments of  another  ancient  tower,  in  a  picturesque  situation.  Among  the 
houses  cast  down  by  the  Earl  of  Hartforde,  in  1545,  occur  the  towers  of 
Easter  Barnhills,  and  of  Minto-crag,  with  Minto  town  and  place.  Sir 
Gilbert  Elliot,  father  to  the  present  Lord  Minto,'  was  the  author  of  a  beau- 
tiful pastoral  song,  of  which  the  following  is  a  more  correct  copy  than  is 
usually  published.  The  poetical  mantle  of  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot  has  descended 
to  his  family. 

"  My  sheep  I  neglected,  I  broke  my  sheep-hook, 

And  all  the  gay  haunts  of  my  youth  I  forsook: 

No  more  for  Amynta  fresh  garlands  I  wove: 

Ambition,  I  said,  would  soon  cure  me  of  love. 

But  what  had  my  youth  with  ambition  to  do! 

Why  left  I  Amynta !  why  broke  I  my  vow ! 

*  Grandfather  to  the  present  Earl.     1819. 


1 86  THE  LAY  OF 


'  Through  regions  remote  in  vain  do  I  rove, 
And  bid  the  wide  world  secure  me  from  love. 
Ah,  fool,  to  imagine,  that  aught  could  subdue 
A  love  so  well  founded,  a  passion  so  true! 
Ah,  give  me  my  sheep,  and  my  sheep-hook  restore ! 
And  I'll  wander  from  love  and  Amynta  no  more! 

'  Alas !  'tis  too  late  at  thy  fate  to  repine ! 
Poor  shepherd,  Amynta  no  more  can  be  thine! 
Thy  tears  are  all  fruitless,  thy  wishes  are  vain. 
The  moments  neglected  return  not  again. 
Ah !  what  had  my  youth  with  ambition  to  do ! 
Why  left  I  Amynta !  why  broke  I  my  vow !  " 


Note  L. 

Ancient  RiddelV s  Fair  Domain.  —  P.  49. 

The  family  of  Riddell  have  been  very  long  in  possession  of  the  barony 
called  Riddell,  or  Ryedale,  part  of  which  still  bears  the  latter  name.  Tra- 
dition carries  their  antiquity  to  a  point  extremely  remote;  and  is,  in  some 
degree,  sanctioned  by  the  discovery  of  two  stone  coffins,  one  containing  an 
earthen  pot  filled  with  ashes  and  arms,  bearing  a  legible  date,  A.D.  727; 
the  other  dated  936,  and  filled  with  the  bones  of  a  man  of  gigantic  size. 
These  coffins  were  discovered  in  the  foundations  of  what  was,  but  has  long 
ceased  to  be,  the  chapel  of  Riddell;  and  as  it  was  argued,  with  plausibility, 
that  they  contained  the  remains  of  some  ancestors  of  the  family,  they  were 
deposited  in  the  modern  place  of  sepulture,  comparatively  so  termed,  though 
built  in  mo.  But  the  following  curious  and  authentic  documents  warrant 
most  conclusively  the  epithet  of  "  ancient  Riddell  "  :  ist,  A  charter  by  Da- 
vid I.  to  Walter  Rydale,  Sheriff  of  Roxburgh,  confirming  all  the  estates  of 
Liliesclive,  &c.,  of  which  his  father,  Gervasius  de  Rydale  died  possessed. 
2dly,  A  bull  of  Pope  Adrian  IV.,  confirming  the  will  of  Walter  de  Ridale, 
knight,  in  favor  of  his  brother  Anschittil  de  Ridale,  dated  8th  April  1155. 
3dly,  A  bull  of  Pope  Alexander  III.,  confirming  the  said  will  of  Walter  de 
Ridale,  bequeathing  to  his  brother  Anschittil  the  lands  of  Liliesclive, 
Whettunes,  &c.,  and  ratifying  the  bargain  betwixt  Anschittil  and  Huctre- 
dus,  concerning  the  church  of  Liliesclive,  in  consequence  of  the  mediation 
of  Malcolm  II.,  and  confirmed  by  a  charter  from  that  monarch.  This  bull 
is  dated  17th  June  1160.  4thly,  A  bull  of  the  same  Pope,  confirming  the 
will  of  Sir  Anschittil  de  Ridale,  in  favor  of  his  son  Walter,  conveying  the 
said  lands  of  Liliesclive  and  others,  dated  loth  March  11 20.     It  is  remark- 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


187 


able  that  Liliesclive,  otherwise  Rydale,  or  Riddell,  and  the  Whittunes,  have 
descended,  through  a  long  train  of  ancestors,  without  ever  passing  into  a 
collateral  line,  to  the  person  of  Sir  John  Buchanan  Riddell,  Bart,  of  Riddel, 
the  lineal  descendant  and  representative  of  Sir  Anschittil. — These  cir- 
cumstances appeared  worthy  of  notice  in  a  Border  work.' 


Note  M. 

So  had  he  seen,  in  fair  Castile, 

The  youth  in  glittering  squadrons  start ; 

Sudden  the  flying  jennet  rvheel, 

And  hurl  the  unexpected  dart.  —  P.  56. 

"  By  my  faith,"  sayd  the  Duke  of  Lancaster,  (to  a  Portuguese  squire,) 
"  of  all  the  feates  of  armes  that  the  Castellyans,  and  they  of  your  countrey 
doth  use,  the  castynge  of  their  dertes  best  pleaseth  me,  and  gladly  I  wolde 
se  it :  for,  as  I  hear  say,  if  they  strike  one  aryghte,  without  he  be  well 
armed,  the  dart  will  pierce  him  thrughe."  —  "By  my  fayth,  sir,"  sayd  the 
squyer,  "ye  say  trouth;  for  I  have  seen  many  a  grete  stroke  given  with 
them,  which  at  one  time  cost  us  derely,  and  was  to  us  great  displeasure; 
for,  at  the  said  skyrmishe,  Sir  John  Laurence  of  Coygne  was  striken  with  a 
dart  in  such  wise,  that  the  head  perced  all  the  plates  of  his  cote  of  mayle, 
and  a  sacke  stopped  with  sylke,  and  passed  thrughe  his  body,  so  that  he 
fell  down  dead." — Froissart,  vol.  ii.  ch.  44. — This  mode  of  fighting  with 
darts  was  imitated  in  the  military  game  called  Jeugo  de  las  canas,  which 
the  Spaniards  borrowed  from  their  Moorish  invaders.  A  Saracen  cham- 
pion is  thus  described  by  Froissart :  —  "  Among  the  Sarazyns,  there  was  a 
yonge  knight  called  Agadinger  Dolyferne;  he  was  always  wel  mounted  on 
a  redy  and  a  lyght  horse;  it  seemed,  when  the  horse  ranne,  that  he  did  fly 
in  the  ayre.  The  knighte  seemed  to  be  a  good  man  of  armes  by  his  dedes; 
he  bare  always  of  usage  three  fethered  dartes,  and  rychte  well  he  could 
handle  them;  and,  according  to  their  custome,  he  was  clene  armed,  with  a 
long  white  towell  about  his  head.  His  apparell  was  blacke,  and  his  own 
colour  browne,  and  a  good  horseman.  The  Crysten  men  say,  they  thoughte 
he  dyd  such  deeds  of  armes  for  the  love  of  some  yonge  ladye  of  his  countrey. 
And  true  it  was,  that  he  loved  entirely  the  King  of  Thune's  daughter,  named 
the  Lady  Azala;  she  was  inherytour  to  the  realme  of  Thune,  after  the  dis- 
cease  of  the  kyng,  her  father.     This  Agadinger  was  sone  to  the  Duke  of 

1  [Since  the  above  note  was  written,  the  ancient  family  of  Riddell  have  parted  with  all 
their  Scotch  estates.  —  Ed.] 


1 88  THE  LAY  OF 


Olyferne.  I  can  nat  telle  if  they  were  married  together  after  or  nat;  but 
it  was  shewed  me,  that  this  knyght,  for  love  of  the  sayd  ladye,  during  the 
siege,  did  many  feates  of  armes.  The  knyghtes  of  France  wold  fayne  have 
taken  hym;  but  they  colde  never  attrape  nor  inclose  him;  his  horse  was  so 
swyft,  and  so  redy  to  his  hand,  that  alwaies  he  escaped."  —  Vol.  ii.  ch.  71. 

Note  N. 

Dark  Knight  of  LiddesdaU.  —  P.  57. 

William  Douglas,  called  the  Knight  of  Liddesdale,  flourished  during  the 
reign  of  David  II.,  and  was  so  distinguished  by  his  valor,  that  he  was  called 
the  Flower  of  Chivalry.  Nevertheless,  he  tarnished  his  renown  by  the 
cruel  murder  of  Sir  Alexander  Ramsay  of  Dalhousie,  originally  his  friend 
and  brother  in  arms.  The  King  had  conferred  upon  Ramsay  the  sheriff- 
dom of  Teviotdale,  to  which  Douglas  pretended  some  claim.  In  revenge 
of  this  preference,  the  Knight  of  Liddesdale  came  down  upon  Ramsay 
while  he  was  administering  justice  at  Hawick,  seized  and  carried  him  off 
to  his  remote  and  inaccessible  castle  of  Hermitage,  where  he  threw  his 
unfortunate  prisoner,  horse  and  man,  into  a  dungeon,  and  left  him  to  perish 
of  hunger.  It  is  said,  the  miserable  captive  prolonged  his  existence  for 
several  days  by  the  corn  which  fell  from  a  granary  above  the  vault  in  which 
he  was  confined.'  So  weak  was  the  royal  authority,  that  David,  although 
highly  incensed  at  this  atrocious  murder,  found  himself  obliged  to  appoint 
the  Knight  of  Liddesdale  successor  to  his  victim,  as  Sheriff  of  Teviotdale. 
But  he  was  soon  after  slain,  while  hunting  in  Ettrick  Forest,  by  his  own 
godson  and  chieftain,  William,  Earl  of  Douglas,  in  revenge,  according  to 

1  There  is  something  affecting  in  the  manner  in  which  the  old  Prior  of  Lochleven  turns 
from  describing  the  death  of  the  gallant  Ramsay,  to  the  general  sorrow  which  it  excited:  — 
"  To  tell  you  there  of  the  manere, 

It  is  hot  sorrow  for  til  here; 

He  wes  the  grettast  menyd  man 

That  ony  cowth  have  thowcht  of  than. 

Of  his  state,  or  of  mare  be  fare ; 

All  menyt  him,  bath  bettyr  and  war; 

The  r>'che  and  pure  him  menyde  bath, 

For  of  his  dede  was  mekil  skath." 
Some  years  ago,  a  person  digging  for  stones,  about  the  old  castle  of  Hermitage,  broke 
into  a  vault  containing  a  quantity  of  chaff,  some  bones,  and  pieces  of  iron ;  amongst  others, 
the  curb  of  an  ancient  bridle,  which  the  author  has  since  given  to  the  Earl  of  Dalhousie, 
under  the  impression  that  it  possibly  may  be  a  relic  of  his  brave  ancestor.  The  worthy 
clergyman  of  the  parish  has  mentioned  this  discovery  in  his  Statistical  Account  of  Castle- 
town. 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


189 


some  authors,  of  Ramsay's  murder;  although  a  popular  tradition,  preserved 
in  a  ballad  quoted  by  Godscroft,  and  some  parts  of  which  are  still  preserved, 
ascribes  the  resentment  of  the  Earl  to  jealousy.  The  place  where  the  Knight 
of  Liddesdale  was  killed,  is  called,  from  his  name,  William-Cross,  upon 
the  ridge  of  a  hill  called  William-Hope,  betwixt  Tweed  and  Yarrow.  His 
body,  according  to  Godscroft,  was  carried  to  Lindean  church  the  first  night 
after  his  death,  and  thence  to  Melrose,  where  he  was  interred  with  great 
pomp,  and  where  his  tomb  is  still  shown. 

Note  O. 

The  wondrous  Michael  SeoU.  —  P.  58. 

Sir  Michael  Scott  of  Balwearie  flourished  during  the  13th  century,  and 
was  one  of  the  ambassadors  sent  to  bring  the  Maid  of  Norway  to  Scotland 
upon  the  death  of  Alexander  HI.  By  a  poetical  anachronism,  he  is  here 
placed  in  a  later  era.  He  was  a  man  of  much  learning,  chiefly  acquired 
in  foreign  countries.  He  wrote  a  commentary  upon  Aristotle,  printed  at 
Venice  in  1496;  and  several  treatises  upon  natural  philosophy,  from  which 
he  appears  to  have  been  addicted  to  the  abstruse  studies  of  judicial  astrology, 
alchymy,  physiognomy,  and  chiromancy.  Hence  he  passed  among  his  con- 
temporaries for  a  skilful  magician.  Dempster  informs  us  that  he  remem- 
bers to  have  heard  in  his  youth,  that  the  magic  books  of  Michael  Scott 
were  still  in  existence,  but  could  not  be  opened  without  danger  on  account 
of  the  malignant  fiends  who  were  thereby  invoked.  Dempsteri  Historia 
Ecdssiastica,  1627,  lib.  xii.  p.  495.  Lesly  characterises  Michael  Scott  as 
"  siugularie philosophia:,  astronomicE,  ac  iiiedicina:  laiide  prestans  ;  diceba- 
tur  penitissimos  inagice  recessus  indagdsse."  Dante  also  mentions  him  as 
a  renowned  wizard  :  — 

"  Queir  altro  che  ne'  fianchi  e  cosi  poco, 
Michele  Scotto  fu,  che  veramente 
Delle  magiche  frode  seppe  il  gxuoco." 

Inferno,  Canto  .\xmo. 

A  personage  thus  spoken  of  by  biographers  and  historians,  loses  little  of 
his  mystical  fame  in  vulgar  tradition.  Accordingly,  the  memory  of  Sir 
Michael  Scott  survives  in  many  a  legend;  and  in  the  south  of  Scotland, 
any  work  of  great  labor  and  antiquity  is  ascribed  either  to  the  agency  of 
Ateld  Jllichael,  of  Sir  William  Wallace,  or  of  the  devil.  Tradition  varies 
concerning  the  place  of  his  burial;  some  contend  for  Home  Coltrame,  in 
Cumberland;   others  for  Melrose  Abbey.     But  all  agree  that  his  books  of 


IC)o  THE  LAY  OF 


magic  were  interred  in  his  grave,  or  preserved  in  the  convent  where  he 
died.  Satchells,  wishing  to  give  some  authority  for  his  account  of  the 
origin  of  the  name  of  Scott,  pretends,  that,  in  1629,  lie  chanced  to  be  at 
Burgh  under  Bownes,  in  Cumberland,  where  a  person,  named  Lancelot 
Scott,  showed  him  an  extract  from  Michael  Scott's  works,  containing  that 

story :  — 

"  He  said  the  book  which  he  gave  me 
Was  of  Sir  Michael  Scott's  historie; 
Which  history  was  never  yet  read  through, 
Nor  never  will,  for  no  man  dare  it  do. 
Young  scholars  have  pick'd  out  something 
From  the  contents,  that  dare  not  read  within. 
He  carried  me  along  the  castle  then, 
And  shew'd  his  written  book  hanging  on  an  iron  pin. 
His  writing  pen  did  seem  to  me  to  be 
Of  hardened  metal,  like  steel,  or  accumie; 
The  volume  of  it  did  seem  so  large  to  me. 
As  the  Book  of  Martyrs  and  Turks'  historie. 
Then  in  the  church  he  let  me  see 
A  stone  where  Mr.  Michael  Scott  did  lie; 
I  asked  at  him  how  that  could  appear, 
Mr.  Michael  had  been  dead  above  five  hundred  year. 
He  shew'd  me  none  durst  bury  under  that  stone, 
More  than  he  had  been  dead  a  few  years  agone; 
For  Mr.  Michael's  name  does  terrifie  each  one." 

History  0/  the  Right  Honourable  name  of  Scott. 

Note  P. 

Salamanca' s  cave.  —  P.  58- 

Spain,  from  the  relics,  doubtless,  of  Arabian  learning  and  superstition, 
was  accounted  a  favorite  residence  of  magicians.  Pope  Sylvester,  who 
actually  imported  from  Spain  the  use  of  the  Arabian  numerals,  was  sup- 
posed to  have  learned  there  the  magic,  for  which  he  was  stigmatized  by  the 
ignorance  of  his  age.  —  William  of  Malmsbury,  lib.  ii.,  cap.  10.  There 
were  public  schools,  where  magic,  or  rather  the  sciences  supposed  to  in- 
volve its  mysteries,  were  regularly  taught,  at  Toledo,  Seville,  and  Sala- 
manca. In  the  latter  city,  they  were  held  in  a  deep  cavern;  the  mouth  of 
which  was  walled  up  by  Queen  Isabella,  wife  of  King  Ferdinand.  —  D'Au- 
TON  on  Learned  Incredulity,  p.  45.  These  Spanish  schools  of  magic  are 
celebrated  also  by  the  Italian  poets  of  romance  :  — 

"  Questo  citta  di  Tolleto  solea 
Tenere  studio  dl  negromanzia, 
Quivi  di  magica  arte  si  leggea 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  iqj 


Pubblicamente,  e  di  peromanzia; 

E  molti  geomanti  sempre  avea, 

Esperimenti  assai  d'  idromanzia 

E  d'  altre  false  opinion'  di  siocchi 

Come  e  failure,  o  spesso  batter  gli  occhi." 

//  Morganie  Maggiore,  Canto  xxv.  St.  259. 

The  celebrated  magician  Maugis,  cousin  to  Rinaldo  of  Montalban, 
called,  by  Ariosto,  Malagigi,  studied  the  black  art  at  Toledo,  as  we  learn 
from  rHistoire  tie  Maugis  U Aygremont.  He  even  held  a  professor's 
chair  in  the  necromantic  university;  for  so  I  interpret  the  passage,  "  qu'on 
tous  les  sept  ars  d^enchantement,  des  charjues  et  conjurations,  il  n'y  avoit 
ineillieur  maistre  que  lui  ;  et  en  tcl  renom  qu'on  le  laissoit  en  chaise,  et 
Vappelloit  on  maistre  Maugis."  This  Salamancan  Domdaniel  is  said  to 
have  been  founded  by  Hercules.  If  the  classic  reader  enquires  where 
Hercules  himself  learned  magic,  he  may  consult  "  Les  faicts  et  proesses  du 
noble  et  vaillant  Ilercttles"  where  he  will  learn  that  the  fable  of  his  aid- 
ing Atlas  to  support  the  heavens  arose  from  the  said  Atlas  having  taught 
Hercules,  the  noble  night-errant,  the  seven  liberal  sciences,  and  in  par- 
ticular, that  of  judicial  astrology.  Such,  according  to  the  idea  of  the  mid- 
dle ages,  were  the  studies,  "  7?iaximus  qucE  docuit  Atlas." — In  a  romantic 
history  of  Roderic,  the  last  Gothic  King  of  Spain,  he  is  said  to  have  entered 
one  of  those  enchanted  caverns.  It  was  situated  beneath  an  ancient  tower 
near  Toledo;  and  when  the  iron  gates,  which  secured  the  entrance,  were 
unfolded,  there  rushed  forth  so  dreadful  a  whirlwind,  that  hitherto  no  one 
had  dared  to  penetrate  into  its  recesses.  But  Roderic,  threatened  with  an 
invasion  of  the  Moors,  resolved  to  enter  the  cavern,  where  he  expected  to 
find  some  prophetic  intimation  of  the  event  of  the  war.  Accordingly,  his 
train  being  furnished  with  torches,  so  artificially  composed  that  the  tempest 
could  not  extinguish  them,  the  King,  with  great  difficulty,  penetrated  into 
a  square  hall,  inscribed  all  over  with  Arabian  characters.  In  the  midst 
stood  a  colossal  statue  of  brass,  representing  a  Saracen  wielding  a  Moorish 
mace,  with  which  it  discharged  furious  blows  on  all  sides,  and  seemed  thus 
to  excite  the  tempest  which  raged  around.  Being  conjured  by  Roderic,  it 
ceased  from  striking,  until  he  read,  inscribed  on  the  right  hand,  "  Wretched 
JMonarch,  for  thy  evil  hast  thou,  come  hither" ;  on  the  left  hand,  "  Thou 
shall  be  dispossessed  by  a  strange  people"  ;  on  one  shoulder,  "  I  invoke  the 
sons  of  Hagar"  ;  on  the  other,  "/  do  mine  ojfice"  When  the  King  had 
deciphered  these  ominous  inscriptions,  the  statue  returned  to  its  exercise, 
the  tempest  commenced  anew,  and  Roderic  retired,  to  mourn  over  the  pre- 
dicted evils  which  approached  his  throne.     He   caused  the  gates  of  the 


192 


THE  LAY  OF 


cavern  to  be  locked  and  barricaded;  but,  in  the  course  of  the  night  the 
tower  fell  with  a  tremendous  noise,  and  under  its  ruins  concealed  for  ever 
the  entrance  to  the  mystic  cavern.  The  conquest  of  Spain  by  the  Sara- 
cens, and  the  death  of  the  unfortunate  Don  Roderic,  fulfilled  the  prophecy 
of  the  brazen  statue.  Historia  verdadera  del  Key  Don  Rodrigo  por  el 
sabio  Akayde  Abidcacim,  traduzeda  de  la  lengna  Arabiga  por  Miquel  de 
Luna,  1645,  '^'^P-  i^- 

Note  Q. 

The  bells  'Mould  ring  in  No/re-Dame.  —  P.  58. 

"  Tantamne  rem  tarn  ncgligenter  ?  "  says  Tyrwhitt,  of  his  predecessor, 
Speight,  who,  in  his  commentary  on  Chaucer,  had  omitted,  as  trivial  and 
fabulous,  the  story  of  Wade  and  his  boat  Guingelot,  to  the  great  prejudice 
of  posterity,  the  memory  of  the  hero  and  the  boat  being  now  entirely  lost. 
That  future  antiquaries  may  lay  no  such  omission  to  my  charge,  I  have 
noted  one  or  two  of  the  most  current  traditions  concerning  Michael  Scott. 
He  was  chosen,  it  was  said,  to  go  upon  an  embassy,  to  obtain  from  the 
King  of  France  satisfaction  for  certain  piracies  committed  by  his  subjects 
upon  those  of  Scotland.  Instead  of  preparing  a  new  equipage  and  splen- 
did retinue,  the  ambassador  retreated  to  his  study,  opened  his  book,  and 
evoked  a  fiend  in  the  shape  of  a  huge  black  horse,  mounted  upon  his  back, 
and  forced  him  to  fly  through  the  air  towards  France.  As  they  crossed  the 
sea,  the  devil  insidiously  asked  his  rider.  What  it  was  that  the  old  women 
of  Scotland  muttered  at  bed-time?  A  less  experienced  wizard  might  have 
answered  that  it  was  the  Pater  Noster,  which  would  have  licensed  the  devil 
to  precipitate  him  from  his  back.  But  Michael  sternly  replied,  "What  is 
that  to  thee?  —  Mount,  Diabolus,  and  fly  !  "  When  he  arrived  at  Paris,  he 
tied  his  horse  to  the  gate  of  the  palace,  entered,  and  boldly  delivered  his 
message.  An  ambassador,  with  so  little  of  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of 
diplomacy,  was  not  received  with  much  respect,  and  the  King  was  about 
to  return  a  contemptuous  refusal  to  his  demand,  when  Michael  besought 
him  to  suspend  his  resolution  till  he  had  seen  his  horse  stamp  three  times. 
The  first  stamp  shook  every  steeple  in  Paris,  and  caused  all  the  bells  to 
ring;  the  second  threw  down  three  of  the  towers  of  the  palace;  and  the 
infernal  steed  had  lifted  his  hoof  to  give  the  third  stamp,  when  the  King 
rather  chose  to  dismiss  Michael,  with  the  most  ample  concessions,  than  to 
stand  to  the  probable  consequences.  Another  time  it  is  said,  that,  when 
residing  at  the  Tower  of  Oakwood,  upon  the   Ettrick,  about  three  miles 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


193 


above  Selkirk,  he  heard  of  the  fame  of  a  sorceress,  called  the  Witch  of 
Falsehope,  who  lived  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  Michael  went  one 
morning  to  put  her  skill  to  the  test,  but  was  disappointed,  by  her  denying 
positively  any  knowledge  of  the  necromantic  art.  In  his  discourse  with 
her,  he  laid  his  wand  inadvertently  on  the  table,  which  the  hag  observing, 
suddenly  snatched  it  up,  and  struck  him  with  it.  Feeling  the  force  of  the 
charm,  he  rushed  out  of  the  house;  but  as  it  had  conferred  on  him  the 
external  appearance  of  a  hare,  his  servant,  who  waited  without,  halloo'd 
upon  the  discomfited  wizard  his  own  greyhounds,  and  pursued  him  so  close, 
that  in  order  to  obtain  a  moment's  breathing  to  reverse  the  charm,  Mi- 
chael, after  a  very  fatiguing  course,  was  fain  to  take  refuge  in  his  own 
jawhole  (^Anglice,  common  sewer).  In  order  to  revenge  himself  of  the 
Witch  of  Falsehope,  Michael,  one  morning  in  the  ensuing  harvest,  went  to 
the  hill  above  the  house  with  his  dogs,  and  sent  down  his  servant  to  ask  a 
bit  of  bread  from  the  goodwife  for  his  greyhounds,  with  instructions  what 
to  do  if  he  met  with  a  denial.  Accordingly,  when  the  witch  had  refused 
the  boon  with  contumely,  the  servant,  as  his  master  had  directed,  laid 
above  the  door  a  paper  which  he  had  given  him,  containing,  amongst 
many  cabalistical  words,  the  well-known  rhyme,  — 

"  Maister  Michael  Scott's  man 
Sought  meat,  and  gat  nane." 

Immediately  the  good  old  woman,  instead  of  pursuing  her  domestic 
occupation,  which  was  baking  bread  for  the  reapers,  began  to  dance  round 
the  fire  repeating  the  rhyme,  and  continued  this  exercise  till  her  husband 
sent  the  reapers  to  the  house,  one  after  another,  to  see  what  had  delayed 
their  provision ;  but  the  charm  caught  each  as  they  entered,  and,  losing  all 
idea  of  returning,  they  joined  in  the  dance  and  chorus.  At  length  the  old 
man  himself  went  to  the  house;  but  as  his  wife's  frolic  with  Mr.  Michael, 
whom  he  had  seen  on  the  hill,  made  him  a  little  cautious,  he  contented 
himself  with  looking  in  at  the  window,  and  saw  the  reapers  at  their  invol- 
untary exercise,  dragging  his  wife,  now  completely  exhausted,  sometimes 
round,  and  sometimes  through  the  fire,  which  was,  as  usual,  in  the  midst 
of  the  house.  Instead  of  entering,  he  saddled  a  horse,  and  rode  up  the 
hill,  to  humble  himself  before  Michael,  and  beg  a  cessation  of  the  spell; 
which  the  good-natured  warlock  immediately  granted,  directing  him  to 
enter  the  house  backwards,  and,  with  his  left  hand,  take  the  spell  from 
above  the  door;  which  accordingly  ended  the  supernatural  dance. — This 
tale  was  told  less  particularly  in  former  editions,  and  I  have  been  censured 


194 


THE  LAY  OF 


for  inaccuracy  in  doing  so.  —  A  similar  charm  occurs  in  Iliion  de  Boitr- 
deaux,  and  in  the  ingenious  Oriental  tale,  called  the  Caliph  Vathek. 

Notwithstanding  his  victory  over  the  Witch  of  Falsehope,  Michael  Scott, 
like  his  predecessor  Merlin,  fell  at  last  a  victim  to  female  art.  His  wife, 
or  concubine,  elicited  from  him  the  secret,  that  his  ait  could  ward  off  any 
danger  except  the  poisonous  qualities  of  broth,  made  of  the  flesh  of  a  breme 
sow.  Such  a  mess  she  accordingly  administered  to  the  wizard,  who  died 
in  consequence  of  eating  it ;  surviving,  however,  long  enough  to  put  to 
death  his  treacherous  confidant. 

Note  R. 

That  lamp  shall  burn  zmquenchably, 
Until  the  eternal  doom  shall  be.  —  P.  6o. 

Baptista  Porta,  and  other  authors  who  treat  of  natural  magic,  talk  much 
of  eternal  lamps,  pretended  to  have  been  found  burning  in  ancient  sepul- 
chres. Fortunius  Licetus  investigates  the  subject  in  a  treatise,  De  Lucemis 
Antiqii07'um  Reconditis,  published  at  Venice,  1621.  One  of  these  perpet- 
ual lamps  is  said  to  have  been  discovered  in  the  tomb  of  TuUiola,  the 
daughter  of  Cicero.  The  wick  was  supposed  to  be  composed  of  asbestos. 
Kircher  enumerates  three  different  recipes  for  constructing  such  lamps; 
and  wisely  concludes  that  the  thing  is  nevertheless  impossible.  —  Mun- 
dus  Subterranens,  p.  72.  Delrio  imputes  the  fabrication  of  such  lights  to 
magical  skill. — Disquisitiones  Magica,  p.  58.  In  a  very  rare  romance, 
which  "  treateth  of  the  life  of  Virgilius,  and  of  his  deth,  and  many  mar- 
vayles  that  he  dyd  in  his  lyfe-tyme,  by  wychecrafte  and  nygramancye, 
throughe  the  helpe  of  the  devyls  of  hell,"  mention  is  made  of  a  very  extra- 
ordinary process,  in  which  one  of  these  mystical  lamps  was  employed.  It 
seems  that  Virgil,  as  he  advanced  in  years,  became  desirous  of  renovating 
his  youth  by  magical  art.  For  this  purpose  he  constructed  a  solitary 
tower,  having  only  one  narrow  portal,  in  vv^hich  he  placed  twenty-four 
copper  figures,  armed  with  iron  flails,  twelve  on  each  side  of  the  porch. 
These  enchanted  statues  struck  with  their  flails  incessantly,  and  rendered 
all  entrance  impossible,  unless  when  Virgil  touched  the  spring  which 
stopped  their  motion.  To  this  tower  he  repaired  privately,  attended  by  one 
trusty  servant,  to  whom  he  communicated  the  secret  of  the  entrance,  and 
hither  they  conveyed  all  the  magician's  treasure.  "  Then  sayde  Virgilius, 
my  dere  beloved  frende,  and  he  that  I  above  alle  men  truste  and  knowe 
raooste  of  my  secret";  and  then  he  led  the  man  into  a  cellar,  where  he 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  195 

made  a  fayer  lamp  at  all  seasons  biirnynge.  "  And  then  sayd  Virgilius  to 
the  man,  '  Se  you  the  barrel  that  standeth  here?'  and  he  sayd,  yea: 
'Therein  must  thou  put  me:  fyrst  ye  must  slee  me,  and  hewe  me  smalle  to 
pieces,  and  cut  my  hed  in  iiii  pieces,  and  salte  the  heed  under  in  the  bot- 
tom, and  then  the  pieces  there  after,  and  my  herte  in  the  myddel,  and 
then  set  the  barrel  under  the  lampe,  that  nyghte  and  day  the  fat  therein 
may  droppe  and  leake;  and  ye  shall  ix  days  long,  ones  in  the  day,  fyll  the 
lampe,  and  fayle  nat.  And  when  this  is  all  done,  then  shall  I  be  renued, 
and  made  yonge  agen.  '  "  At  this  extraordinary  proposal,  the  confidant 
was  sore  abashed,  and  made  some  scruple  of  obeying  his  master's  com- 
mands. At  length,  however,  he  complied,  and  Virgil  was  slain,  pickled, 
and  barrelled  up,  in  all  respects  according  to  his  own  direction.  The  ser- 
vant then  left  the  tower,  taking  care  to  put  the  copper  thrashers  in  motion 
at  his  departure.  He  continued  daily  to  visit  the  tower  with  the  same 
precaution.  Meanwhile,  the  emperor,  with  whom  Virgil  was  a  great 
favorite,  missed  him  from  the  court,  and  demanded  of  his  servant  where  he 
was.  The  domestic  pretended  ignorance,  till  the  emperor  threatened  him 
with  death,  when  at  length  he  conveyed  him  to  the  enchanted  tower. 
The  same  threat  extorted  a  discovery  of  the  mode  of  stopping  the  statues 
from  wielding  their  flails.  "  And  then  the  emperour  entered  into  the  castle 
with  all  his  folke,  and  sought  all  aboute  in  every  corner  after  Virgilius;  and 
at  laste  they  soughte  so  longe,  that  they  came  into  the  seller,  where  they 
sawe  the  lampe  hang  over  the  barrell  where  Virgilius  lay  in  deed.  Then 
asked  the  emperour  the  man,  who  had  made  hym  so  herdy  to  put  his  mays- 
ter  Virgilius  so  to  dethe;  and  the  man  answered  no  worde  to  the  emperour. 
And  then  the  emperour,  with  great  anger,  drevve  out  his  sworde,  and  slewe 
he  there  Virgilius'  man.  And  when  all  this  was  done,  then  sawe  the 
emperour,  and  all  his  folke,  a  naked  child  iii  tymes  rennynge  about  the 
barrel,  saynge  these  wordes,  '  Cursed  be  the  tyme  that  ye  ever  came  here.' 
And  with  those  words  vanyshed  the  chylde  awaye,  and  was  never  sene 
ageyn;  and  thus  abyd  Virgilius  in  the  barrel  deed." —  Virgilius,  bl.  let., 
printed  at  Antwerpe  by  John  Doesborcke.  This  curious  volume  is  in  the 
valuable  library  of  Mr.  Douce;  and  is  supposed  to  be  a  translation  from 
the  French,  printed  in  Flanders  for  the  English  market.  See  Goujet 
Biblioth.  Franc,  ix.  225.  Catalogue  de  la  Bibliotheqiie  Nationale,  torn.  ii. 
p.  5.     De  Bure,  No.  3857. 


196 


THE  LAY  OF 


Note  S. 

The  Barents  Diua)-/ his  courser  held.  — P.  67. 

The  idea  of  Lord  Cranstoun's  Goblin  Page  is  taken  from  a  being  called 
Gilpin  Horner,  who  appeared,  and  made  some  stay,  at  a  farm  house  among 
the  Border-mountains.  A  gentleman  of  that  country  has  noted  down  the 
following  particulars  concerning  his  appearance  :  — 

"  The  only  certain,  at  least  most  probable  account,  that  ever  I  heard  of 
Gilpin  Horner,  was  from  an  old  man,  of  the  name  of  Anderson,  who  was 
born,  and  lived  all  his  life  at  Todshaw-hill,  in  Eskedale-muir,  the  place 
where  Gilpin  appeared  and  staid  for  some  time.  He  said  there  were  two 
men,  late  in  the  evening,  when  it  was  growing  dark,  employed  in  fastening 
the  horses  upon  the  uttermost  part  of  their  ground,  (that  is,  tying  their 
forefeet  together,  to  hinder  them  from  travelling  far  in  the  night,)  when 
they  heard  a  voice,  at  some  distance,  crying,  ^  tint !  tint!  tint !' '  One  of 
the  men,  named  Moffat,  called  out,  '  What  deil  has  tint  you?  Come  here.' 
Immediately  a  creature,  of  something  like  a  human  form,  appeared.  It 
was  surprisingly  little,  distorted  in  features,  and  misshapen  in  limbs.  As 
soon  as  the  two  men  could  see  it  plainly,  they  "ran  home  in  a  great  fright, 
imagining  they  had  met  with  some  goblin.  By  the  way  Moffat  fell,  and  it 
ran  over  him,  and  was  home  at  the  house  as  soon  as  either  of  them,  and 
staid  there  a  long  time;  but  I  cannot  say  how  long.  It  was  real  flesh  and 
blood,  and  ate  and  drank,  was  fond  of  cream,  and,  when  it  could  get  at  it, 
would  destroy  a  great  deal.  It  seemed  a  mischievous  creature;  and  any 
of  the  children  whom  it  could  master,  it  would  beat  and  scratch  without 
mercy.  It  was  once  abusing  a  child  belonging  to  the  same  Moffat,  who 
had  been  so  frightened  by  its  first  appearance,  and  he  in  a  passion  struck 
it  so  violent  a  blow  upon  the  side  of  the  head,  that  it  tumbled  upon  the 
ground,  but  it  was  not  stunned;  for  it  set  up  its  head  directly,  and  exclaimed, 
'  Ah  hah.  Will  o'  Moffat,  you  strike  sair !  '  (viz.  sore') .  After  it  had  staid 
there  long,  one  evening,  when  the  women  were  milking  the  cows  in  the 
loan,  it  was  playing  among  the  children  near  by  them,  when  suddenly 
they  heard  a  loud  shrill  voice  cry,  three  times,  '  Gilpin  Horner  I ''  It 
started,  and  said,  '  That  is  me,  I  must  aiuay,'  and  instantly  disappeared,  and 
was  never  heard  of  more.  Old  Anderson  did  not  remember  it,  but  said 
he  had  often  heard  his  father,  and  other  old  men  in  the  place,  who  were 
there  at  the  time,  speak  about  it;   and  in  my  younger  years  I  have  often 

*  Tint  signifies  lost. 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


197 


heard  it  mentioned,  and  never  met  with  any  who  had  the  remotest  doubt  as 
to  the  truth  of  the  story;  although,  I  must  own,  I  cannot  help  thinking 
there  must  be  some  misrepresentation  in  it."  —  To  this  account,  I  have  to 
add  the  following  particulars  from  the  most  respectable  authority.  Besides 
constantly  repeating  the  word  tint !  tint !  Gilpin  Horner  was  often  heard  to 
call  upon  Peter  Bertram,  or  Be-te-ram,  as  he  pronounced  the  word;  and 
when  the  shrill  voice  called  Gilpin  Horner,  he  immediately  acknowledged 
it  was  the  summons  of  the  said  Peter  Bertram,  who  seems  therefore  to 
have  been  the  devil  who  had  tint,  or  lost,  the  little  imp.  As  much  has 
been  objected  to  Gilpin  Horner  on  account  of  his  being  supposed  rather  a 
device  of  the  author  than  a  popular  superstition,  I  can  only  say,  that  no 
legend  which  I  ever  heard  seemed  to  be  more  universally  credited, 
and  that  many  persons  of  very  good  rank  and  considerable  information  are 
well  known  to  repose  absolute  faith  in  the  tradition. 

Note  T. 

But  the  Ladye  of  Branksojne  gather'd  a  band 

Of  the  best  that  would  ride  at  her  comtnand.  —  P.  68. 

"Upon  25th  June,  1557,  Dame  Janet  Beatoune,  Lady  Buccleuch,  and 
a  great  number  of  the  name  of  Scott,  delaitit  (accused)  for  coming  to  the 
kirk  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Lowes,  to  the  number  of  two  hundred  persons 
bodin  in  feire  of  weire  (arrayed  in  armor)  and  breaking  open  the  door 
of  the  said  kirk,  in  order  to  apprehend  the  Laird  of  Cranstoune  for  his 
destruction."  On  the  20th  July  a  warrant  from  the  Queen  is  presented, 
discharging  the  justice  to  proceed  against  the  Lady  Buccleuch  while  new 
calling.  — Abridgement  of  Books  of  Adjournal,  in  Advocates'  Library. — 
The  following  proceedings  upon  this  case  appear  on  the  record  of  the 
Court  of  Justiciary:  On  the  25th  of  June,  1557,  Robert  Scott  in  Bowhill 
parish,  priest  of  the  Kirk  of  St.  Mary's,  accused  of  the  convocation  of  the 
Queen's  lieges,  to  the  number  of  200  persons,  in  warlike  array,  with  jacks, 
helmets,  and  other  weapons,  and  marching  to  the  chapel  of  St.  Mary  of 
the  Lowes  for  the  slaughter  of  Sir  Peter  Cranstoun,  out  of  ancient  feud 
and  malice  prepense,  and  of  breaking  the  doors  of  the  said  kirk,  is  re- 
pledged  by  the  Archbishop  of  Glasgow.  The  bail  given  by  Robert  Scott 
of  Allanhaugh,  Adam  Scott  of  Burnfute,  Robert  Scott  in  Howfurde,  Walter 
Scott  in  Todshawhaugh,  Walter  Scott  younger  of  Synton,  Thomas  Scott 
of  Ilayning,  Robert  Scott,  William  Scott,  and  James  Scott,  brothers  of  the 
said  Walter  Scott,  Walter  Scott  in  the  Woll,  and  Walter  Scott,  son  of  Wil- 


198 


THE  LAY  OF 


liam  Scott  of  Harden,  and  James  Wemyss  in  Eckford,  all  accused  of  the 
same  crime,  is  declared  to  be  forfeited.  On  the  same  day,  Walter  Scott 
of  Synton,  and  Walter  Chisholme  of  Chisholme,  and  William  Scott  of 
Harden,  became  bound,  jointly  and  severally,  that  Sir  Peter  Cranstoun, 
and  his  kindred  and  servants,  should  receive  no  injury  from  them  in  future. 
At  the  same  time,  Patrick  Murray  of  Fallohill,  Alexander  Stuart,  uncle  to 
the  Laird  of  Trakwhare,  John  Murray  of  NeVvhall,  John  Fairlye,  residing 
in  Selkirk,  George  Tait,  younger  of  Pirn,  John  Pennycuke  of  Pennycuke, 
James  Ramsay  of  Cockpen,  the  Laird  of  Fassyde,  and  the  Laird  of  Hen- 
derstoune,  were  all  severally  fined  for  not  attending  as  jurors ;  being  probably 
either  in  alliance  with  the  accused  parties,  or  dreading  their  vengeance. 
Upon  the  20th  of  July  following,  Scott  of  Synton,  Chisholme  of  Chisholme, 
Scott  of  Harden,  Scott  of  Howpaslie,  Scott  of  Burnfute,  with  many  others, 
are  ordered  to  appear  at  next  calling,  under  the  pains  of  treason.  But  no 
farther  procedure  seems  to  have  taken  place.  It  is  said,  that,  upon  this 
rising,  the  Kirk  of  St.  Mary  was  burnt  by  the  Scotts. 


Note  U. 

All  7uas  delusion,  nought  tcurs  Irul/i.  —  P.  75. 

Glamour,  in  the  legends  of  Scottish  superstition,  means  the  magic  power 
of  imposing  on  the  eyesight  of  the  spectators,  so  that  the  appearance  of  an 
object  shall  be  totally  different  from  the  reality.  The  transformation  of 
Michael  Scott  by  the  witch  of  Falsehope,  already  mentioned,  was  a  genuine 
operation  of  glamour.  To  a  similar  charm  the  ballad  of  Johnny  Fa'  im- 
putes the  fascination  of  the  lovely  Countess,  who  eloped  with  that  gipsy 
leader : — 

"  Sae  soon  as  they  saw  her  weel-far'd  face, 
They  cast  the  ^-lamoitr  o'er  her." 

It  was  formerly  used  even  in  war.  In  1381,  when  the  Duke  of  Anjou 
lay  before  a  strong  castle,  upon  the  coast  of  Naples,  a  necromancer  offered 
to  "  make  the  ayre  so  thycke,  that  they  within  shall  thynke  that  there  is  a 
great  bridge  on  the  see  (by  which  the  castle  was  surrounded)  for  ten  men 
to  go  a  front;  and  whan  they  within  the  castle  se  this  bridge,  they  will 
be  so  afrayde,  that  they  shall  yelde  them  to  your  mercy.  The  Duke  de- 
manded, — '  Fayre  Master,  on  this  bridge  that  ye  speke  of,  may  our  people 
assuredly  go  thereon  to  the  castell  to  assayle  it?  '  — '  Syr,'  quod  the  enchan- 
tour,  'I  dare  not  assure  you  that;  for  if  any  that  passeth  on  the  bridge 
make  the  signe  of  the  crosse  on  hym,  all  shall  go  to  noughte,  and  they 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


199 


that  be  on  the  bridge  shall  fall  into  the  see.'  Then  the  Duke  began  to 
laugh;  and  a  certain  of  young  knightes,  that  were  there  present,  said, 
'  Syr,  for  godsake,  let  the  mayster  assey  his  cunning :  we  shal  leve  making 
of  any  signe  of  the  crosse  on  us  for  that  tyme.' "  The  Earl  of  Savoy, 
shortly  after,  entered  the  tent,  and  recognized  in  the  enchanter  the  same 
person  who  had  put  the  castle  into  the  power  of  Sir  Charles  de  la  Payx, 
who  then  held  it,  by  persuading  the  garrison  of  the  Queen  of  Naples, 
through  magical  deception,  that  the  sea  was  coming  over  the  walls.  The 
sage  avowed  the  feat,  and  added,  that  he  was  the  man  in  the  world  most 
dreaded  by  Sir  Charles  de  la  Payx.  "  '  By  my  fayth,'  quod  the  Earl  of 
Savoy,  'ye  say  well;  and  I  will  that  Syr  Charles  de  la  Payx  shall  know 
that  he  hath  gret  wronge  to  fear  you.  But  I  shall  assure  hym  of  you;  for 
ye  shall  never  do  enchantment  to  deceyve  hym,  nor  yet  none  other.  I 
wolde  nat  that  in  tyme  to  come  we  shulde  be  reproached  that  in  so  high 
an  enterprise  as  we  be  in,  wherein  there  be  so  many  noble  knyghtes  and 
squyres  assembled,  that  we  shulde  do  any  thyng  be  enchantment,  nor  that 
we  shulde  wyn  our  enemys  be  suche  crafte.'  Then  he  called  to  him  a  ser- 
vaunt,  and  said,  '  Go  and  get  a  hangman,  and  let  him  stryke  of  this  may- 
ster's  heed  without  delay;'  and  as  soone  as  the  Erie  had  commanded  it, 
incontynent  it  was  done,  for  his  heed  was  stryken  of  before  the  Erie's 
tent."  —  Froissart,  vol.  i.  ch.  391,  392. 

The  art  of  glamour,  or  other  fascination,  was  anciently  a  principal  part 
of  the  skill  of  the  jongleur,  or  juggler,  whose  tricks  formed  much  of  the 
amusement  of  a  Gothic  castle.  Some  instances  of  this  art  may  be  found  in 
the  Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border,  vol.  iv.  p.  106.  In  a  strange  allegor- 
ical poem,  called  the  Houlat,  written  by  a  dependent  of  the  house  of 
Douglas,  about  1452-3,  the  jay,  in  an  assembly  of  birds,  plays  the  part  of 
the  juggler.     His  feats  of  glamour  are  thus  described  :  — 

"  He  gart  them  see,  as  it  semyt  in  samyn  houre, 
Hunting  at  herdis  in  holtis  so  hair; 
Some  sailand  on  the  see  schippis  of  toure, 
Bernis  battalland  on  burd  brim  as  a  bare; 
He  coulde  carye  the  coup  of  the  kingis  des, 
Syne  leve  in  the  stede, 
Bet  a  black  bunwede ; 
He  could  of  a  henis  hede 
Make  a  man  mes. 

"  He  gart  the  Emproure  trow,  and  trewlye  behald, 
That  the  corncraik,  the  pundare  at  hand, 
Had  poyndit  all  his  pris  hors  in  a  poynd  fald, 
Because  thai  ete  of  the  corn  in  the  kirkland. 


20O  THE  LAY  OF 


He  could  wirk  windaris,  quhat  way  that  he  wald, 

Mak  a  gray  gus  a  gold  garland, 
A  lang  spere  of  a  bittile,  for  a  heme  bald, 

Nobilis  of  nutschelles,  and  silver  of  sand. 
Thus  joukit  with  juxters  the  janglane  ja. 

Fair  ladyes  in  ringis, 

Knychtis  in  caralyngis, 

Bayth  dansis  and  singis, 
Tt  semyt  as  sa." 


Note  V. 

Now,  if  you  ask  tuho  gave  the  stroke, 

I  cannot  tell,  so  mot  I  thrive  ; 

It  was  not  given  by  man  alive.  —  P.  75. 

Dr.  Henry  More,  in  a  letter  prefixed  to  Glanville's  Saducismtts  Tri- 
umphatus,  mentions  a  similar  phenomenon. 

"  I  remember  an  old  gentleman  in  the  country,  of  my  acquaintance,  an 
excellent  justice  of  peace,  and  a  piece  of  a  mathematician;  but  what  kind 
of  a  philosopher  he  was,  you  may  understand  from  a  rhyme  of  his  own 
making,  which  he  commended  to  me  at  my  taking  horse  in  his  yard,  which 
rhyme  is  this  :  — 

'  Ens  is  nothing  till  sense  finds  out : 
Sense  ends  in  nothing,  so  naught  goes  about.' 

Which  rhyme  of  his  was  so  rapturous  to  himself,  that,  on  the  reciting  of 
the  second  verse,  the  old  man  turned  himself  about  upon  his  toe  as  nimbly 
as  one  may  observe  a  dry  leaf  whisked  round  the  corner  of  an  orchard- 
walk  by  some  little  whirlwind.  With  this  philosopher  I  have  had  many 
discourses  concerning  the  immortality  of  the  soul  and  its  distinction;  when 
I  have  run  him  quite  down  by  reason,  he  would  but  laugh  at  me,  and  say, 
this  is  logic,  H.  (calling  me  by  my  Christian  name);  to  which  I  replyed, 
this  is  reason  father  L.  (for  so  I  used  and  some  others  to  call  him) ;  but  it 
seems  you  are  for  the  new  lights,  and  immediate  inspiration,  which  I  con- 
fess he  was  as  little  for  as  for  the  other;  but  I  said  so  only  in  the  way  of 
drollery  to  him  in  those  times,  but  truth  is,  nothing  but  palpable  experi- 
ence would  move  him;  and  being  a  bold  man,  and  fearing  of  nothing,  he 
told  me  he  had  used  all  the  magical  ceremonies  of  conjuration  he  could,  to 
raise  the  devil  or  a  spirit,  and  had  a  most  earnest  desire  to  meet  with  one, 
but  never  could  do  it.  But  this  he  told  me,  when  he  did  not  so  much  as 
think  of  it,  while  his  servant  was  pulling  oft'  his  boots  in  the  hall,  some 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  20 1 

invisible  hand  gave  him  such  a  clap  upon  the  back,  that  it  made  all  ring 
again;  'so,'  thought  he  now,  'I  am  invited  to  the  converse  of  my  spirit,' 
and  therefore  so  soon  as  his  boots  were  off,  and  his  shoes  on,  out  he  goes 
into  the  yard  and  next  field,  to  find  out  the  spirit  that  had  given  him  this 
familiar  clap  on  the  back,  but  found  none  neither  in  the  yard  nor  field 
next  to  it. 

"  But  though  he  did  not  feel  this  stroke,  albeit  he  thought  it  afterwards 
(finding  nothing  came  of  it)  a  mere  delusion;  yet  not  long  before  his 
death,  it  had  more  force  with  him  than  all  the  philosophical  arguments  I 
could  use  to  him,  though  I  could  wind  him  and  nonplus  him  as  I  pleased; 
but  yet  all  my  arguments,  how  solid  soever,  made  no  impression  upon 
him;  wherefore,  after  several  reasonings  of  this  nature,  whereby  I  would 
prove  to  him  the  soul's  distinction  from  the  body,  and  its  immortality, 
when  nothing  of  such  subtile  consideration  did  any  more  execution  on  his 
mind  than  some  lightning  is  said  to  do,  though  it  melts  the  sword,  on  the 
fuzzy  consistency  of  the  scabbard,  — '  Well,'  said  I,  '  father  L.,  though 
none  of  these  things  move  you,  I  have  something  still  behind,  and  what 
yourself  has  acknowledged  to  be  true,  that  may  do  the  business  :  —  Do  you 
remember  the  clap  on  your  back  when  your  servant  was  pulling  off  your 
boots  in  the  hall?  Assure  yourself,  says  I,  father  L.,  that  goblin  will  be 
the  first  to  bid  you  welcome  into  the  other  world.'  Upon  that  his  coun- 
tenance changed  most  sensibly,  and  he  was  more  confounded  with  this 
rubbing  up  his  memory,  than  with  all  the  rational  or  philosophical  argu- 
mentations that  I  could  produce." 

Note  W. 

But  she  has  ta'en  the  broken  lance. 
And  ivasKd  it  from  the  clotted  gore. 
And  salved  the  splinter  o'er  and  o^er.  —  P.  83. 

Sir  Kenelm  Digby,  in  a  discourse  upon  the  cure  by  sympathy,  pro- 
nounced at  Montpelier  before  an  assembly  of  nobles  and  learned  men, 
translated  into  English  by  R.  White,  gentleman,  and  published  in  1658, 
gives  us  the  following  curious  surgical  case :  — 

"  Mr  James  Howel  (well  known  in  France  for  his  public  works,  and 
particularly  for  his  Dendrologie,  translated  into  French  by  Mons.  Bau- 
douin)  coming  by  chance,  as  two  of  his  best  friends  were  fighting  in  duel, 
he  did  his  endeavour  to  part  them;  and,  putting  himselfe  between  them, 
seized,  with  his  left  hand,  upon  the  hilt  of  the  sword  of  one  of  the  com- 


202  THE  LAY  OF 


batants,  while,  with  his  right  hand,  he  laid  hold  of  the  blade  of  the  other. 
They,  being  transported  with  fury  one  against  the  other,  struggled  to  rid 
themselves  of  the  hindrance  their  friend  made,  that  they  should  not  kill 
one  another;  and  one  of  them  roughly  drawing  the  blade  of  his  sword, 
cuts  to  the  very  bone  the  nerves  and  muscles  of  Mr.  Howel's  hand ;  and 
then  the  other  disengaged  his  hilts,  and  gave  a  crosse  blow  on  his  adver- 
sarie's  head,  which  glanced  towards  his  friend,  who  heaving  up  his  sore 
hand  to  save  the  blow,  he  was  wounded  on  the  back  of  his  hand  as  he  had 
been  before  within.  It  seems  some  strange  constellation  reigned  then 
against  him,  that  he  should  lose  so  much  bloud  by  parting  two  such  dear 
friends,  who,  had  they  been  themselves,  would  have  hazarded  both  their 
lives  to  have  preserved  his;  but  this  involuntary  effusion  of  bloud  by  them, 
prevented  that  which  they  sholde  have  drawn  one  from  the  other.  For 
they,  seeing  Mr.  Howel's  face  besmeared  with  bloud  by  heaving  up  his 
wounded  hand,  they  both  ran  to  embrace  him;  and,  having  searched  his 
hurts,  they  bound  up  his  hand  with  one  of  his  garters,  to  close  the  veins 
which  were  cut,  and  bled  abundantly.  They  brought  him  home,  and  sent 
for  a  surgeon.  But  this  Ijeing  heard  at  court,  the  King  sent  one  of  his 
own  surgeons;    for  his  Majesty  much  affected  the  said  Mr.  Howel. 

"It  was  my  chance  to  be  lodged  hard  by  him;  and  four  or  five  days 
after,  as  I  was  making  myself  ready,  he  came  to  my  house,  and  prayed  me 
to  view  his  wounds;  '  for  I  understand,'  said  he,  '  that  you  have  extraordi- 
nary remedies  on  such  occasions,  and  my  surgeons  apprehend  some  fear 
that  it  may  grow  to  a  gangrene,  and  so  the  hand  must  be  cut  off.'  In  ef- 
fect, his  countenance  discovered  that  he  was  in  much  pain,  which  he  said 
was  insupportable,  in  regard  of  the  extreme  inflammation.  I  told  him  I 
would  willingly  serve  him;  but  if  haply  he  knew  the  manner  how  I  would 
cure  him,  without  touching  or  seeing  him,  it  may  be  he  would  not  expose 
himself  to  my  manner  of  curing,  because  he  would  think  it,  peradventure, 
either  ineffectual  or  superstitious.  He  replied,  '  the  wonderful  things 
which  many  have  related  unto  me  of  your  way  of  medicament,  makes  me 
nothing  doubt  at  all  of  its  efificacy;  and  all  that  I  have  to  say  unto  you  is 
comprehended  in  the  Spanish  proverb,  Hagase  el  milagro  y  hagalo  Ma- 
homa  —  Let  the  miracle  be  done,  though  Mahomet  do  it.' 

"I  asked  him  then  for  any  thing  that  had  the  blood  upon  it;  so  he 
presently  sent  for  his  garter,  wherewith  his  hand  was  first  bound;  and  as 
I  called  for  a  bason  of  water,  as  if  I  would  wash  my  hands,  I  took  a  hand- 
ful of  powder  of  vitriol,  which  I  had  in  my  study,  and  presently  dissolved 
it.  As  soon  as  the  bloudy  garter  was  brought  me,  I  put  it  within  the  ba- 
son, observing,  in  the  interim,  what  Mr.   Howel  did,  who  stood  talking 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  203 


with  a  gentleman  in  a  corner  of  my  chamber,  not  regarding  at  all  what  I 
was  doing;  but  he  started  suddenly,  as  if  he  had  found  some  strange  alter- 
ation in  himself.  I  asked  him  what  he  ailed?  'I  know  not  what  ailes 
me;  but  I  fmde  that  I  feel  no  more  pain.  Methinks  that  a  pleasing  kinde 
of  freshnesse,  as  it  were  a  wet  cold  napkin,  did  spread  over  my  hand, 
which  hath  taken  away  the  inflammation  that  tormented  me  before.' — I 
replied,  '  Since  then  that  you  feel  already  so  good  effect  of  my  medica- 
ment, I  advise  you  to  cast  away  all  your  playsters;  only  keep  the  wound 
clean  and  in  a  moderate  temper  betwixt  heat  and  cold.'  This  was  pres- 
ently reported  to  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  and  a  little  after  to  the  King, 
who  were  both  very  curious  to  know  the  circumstance  of  the  businesse, 
which  was,  that  after  dinner  I  took  the  garter  out  of  the  water,  and  put  it 
to  dry  before  a  great  fire.  It  was  scarce  dry,  but  Mr.  Howel's  servant 
came  running,  that  his  master  felt  as  much  burning  as  ever  he  had  done,  if 
not  more;  for  the  heat  was  such  as  if  his  hand  were  'twixt  coles  of  fire.  I 
answered,  although  that  had  happened  at  present,  yet  he  should  find  ease 
in  a  short  time;  for  I  knew  the  reason  of  this  new  accident,  and  would 
provide  accordingly;  for  his  master  should  be  free  from  that  inflammation, 
it  may  be  before  he  could  possibly  return  to  him;  but  in  case  he  found  no 
ease,  I  wished  him  to  come  presently  back  again;  if  not,  he  might  forbear 
coming.  Thereupon  he  went;  and  at  the  instant  I  did  put  again  the 
garter  into  the  water,  thereupon  he  found  his  master  without  any  pain  at 
all.  To  be  brief,  there  was  no  sense  of  pain  afterward;  but  within  five  or 
six  dayes  the  wounds  were  cicatrized,  and  entirely  healed."  —  Page  6. 

The  King  (James  VI.)  obtained  from  Sir  Kenelm  the  discovery  of  his 
secret,  which  he  pretended  had  been  taught  him  by  a  Carmelite  friar,  who 
had  learned  it  in  Armenia,  or  Persia.  Let  not  the  age  of  animal  magnet- 
ism and  metallic  tractors  smile  at  the  sympathetic  powder  of  Sir  Kenelm 
Digby.  Reginald  Scott  mentions  the  same  mode  of  cure  in  these  terms : 
—  "  And  that  which  is  more  strange  .  .  .  they  can  remedie  anie  stranger 
with  that  verie  sword  wherewith  they  are  wounded.  Yea,  and  that  which 
is  beyond  all  admiration,  if  they  stroke  the  sword  upward  with  their  fingers, 
the  partie  shall  feele  no  pain;  whereas,  if  they  draw  their  fingers  down- 
wards, thereupon  the  partie  wounded  shall  feele  intolerable  pain."  I  pre- 
sume that  the  success  ascribed  to  the  sympathetic  mode  of  treatment  might 
arise  from  the  pains  bestowed  in  washing  the  wound,  and  excluding  the 
air,  thus  bringing  on  a  cure  by  the  first  intention.  It  is  introduced  by 
Dryden  in  the  Euchanted  Island  a  (very  unnecessary)  alteration  of  the 
Tempest :  — 


204 


THE  LAY  OF 


"  Ariel.  Anoint  the  sword  which  pierced  him  with  this 
Weapon-salve,  and  wrap  it  close  from  air, 
Till  I  have  time  to  visit  him  again."  —  Act  v.  sc.  2. 

Again,  in  scene  4th,  Miranda  enters  with  Hippolito's  sword  wrapt  up :  — 

"  Hi/>.     O  my  wound  pains  me ! 

Mir.     I  am  come  to  ease  you.  {She  unwraps  the  Sword. 

Hip.     Alas,  I  feel  the  cold  air  come  to  me; 
My  wound  shoots  worse  than  ever. 

Mir.     Does  it  still  grieve  you?  {She  wipes  and  anoints  the  Sword. 

Hip.     Now,  methinks,  there's  something  laid  just  upon  it. 

Mir.     Do  you  find  no  ease? 

Hip.     Yes,  yes;  upon  the  sudden  all  this  pain 
Is  leaving  me.     Sweet  heaven,  how  I  am  eased!  " 


Note  X. 

Our  kill,  a>td  clan,  and  friends  to  raise.  —  P.  86. 

The  speed  with  which  the  Borderers  collected  great  bodies  of  horse,  may- 
be judged  of  from  the  following  extract,  when  the  subject  of  the  rising  was 
much  less  important  than  that  supposed  in  the  romance.  It  is  taken  from 
Carey's  Memoirs:  — 

"  Upon  the  death  of  the  old  Lord  Scroop,  the  Queen  gave  the  west 
wardenry  to  his  son,  that  had  married  my  sister.  He  having  received  that 
office,  came  to  me  with  great  earnestness,  and  desired  me  to  be  his  deputy, 
offering  me  that  I  should  live  with  him  in  his  house;  that  he  would  allow 
me  half  a  dozen  men,  and  as  many  horses  to  be  kept  at  his  charge;  and  his 
fee  being  1000  merks  yearly,  he  would  part  it  with  me,  and  I  should  have 
the  half.  This  his  noble  offer  I  accepted  of,  and  went  with  him  to  Carlisle 
where  I  was  no  sooner  come,  but  I  entered  into  my  office.  We  had  a 
stirring  time  of  it;  and  few  days  past  over  my  head  but  I  was  on  horse- 
back, either  to  prevent  mischief,  or  take  malefactors,  and  to  bring  the  Bor- 
der in  better  quiet  that  it  had  been  in  times  past.  One  memorable  thing  of 
God's  mercy  shewed  unto  me,  was  such  as  I  have  good  cause  still  to 
remember  it. 

"  I  had  private  intelligence  given  me,  that  there  were  two  Scottishmen 
that  had  killed  a  churchman  in  Scotland,  and  were  by  one  of  the  Grammes 
relieved.  This  Graeme  dwelt  within  five  miles  of  Carlisle.  He  had  a 
pretty  house,  and  close  by  it  a  strong  tower,  for  his  own  defence  in  time  of 
need.  —  About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  took  horse  in  Carlisle,  and 
not  above  twenty-five  in  my  company,  thinking  to  surprise  the  house  on  a 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


205 


sudden.  Before  I  could  surround  the  house,  the  two  Scots  were  gotten  in  the 
strong  tower,  and  I  could  see  a  boy  riding  from  the  house  as  fast  as  his  horse 
could  carry  him;  I  little  suspecting  what  it  meant.  But  Thomas  Carleton 
came  to  me  presently,  and  told  nie,  that  if  I  did  not  presently  prevent  it, 
both  myself  and  all  my  company  would  be  either  slain  or  taken  prisoners. 
It  was  strange  to  me  to  hear  this  language.  He  then  said  to  me,  '  Do  you 
see  that  boy  that  rideth  away  so  fast?  He  will  be  in  Scotland  within  this  half 
hour;  and  he  is  gone  to  let  them  know,  that  you  are  here,  and  to  what 
end  you  are  come,  and  the  small  number  you  have  with  you;  and  that  if 
they  will  make  haste,  on  a  sudden  they  may  surprise  us,  and  do  with  us 
what  they  please.'  Hereupon  we  took  advice  what  was  best  to  be  done. 
We  sent  notice  presently  to  all  parts  to  raise  the  country,  and  to  come  to 
us  with  all  the  speed  they  could;  and  withall  we  sent  to  Carlisle  to  raise 
the  townsmen;  for  without  foot  we  could  do  no  good  against  the  tower. 
There  we  staid  some  hours,  expecting  more  company ;  and  within  short 
time  after  the  country  came  in  all  sides,  so  that  we  were  quickly  between 
three  and  four  hundred  horse;  and,  after  some  longer  stay,  the  foot  of 
Carlisle  came  to  us,  to  the  number  of  three  or  four  hundred  men;  whom 
we  presently  set  to  work,  to  go  to  the  top  of  the  tower,  and  to  uncover  the 
roof;  and  then  some  twenty  of  them  to  fall  down  together,  and  by  that 
means  to  win  the  tower.  —  The  Scots,  seeing  their  present  danger,  offered 
to  parley,  and  yielded  themselves  to  my  mercy.  They  had  no  sooner 
opened  the  iron  gate,  and  yielded  themselves  my  prisoners,  but  we  might 
see  400  horse  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  coming  to  their  rescue,  and  to 
surprise  nie  and  my  small  company;  but  of  a  sudden  they  stayed,  and 
stood  at  gaze.  Then  had  I  more  to  do  than  ever;  for  all  our  Borderers 
came  crying,  with  full  mouths,  'Sir,  give  us  leave  to  set  upon  them;  for 
these  are  they  that  have  killed  our  fathers,  our  brothers,  and  uncles,  and 
our  cousins;  and  they  are  coming,  thinking  to  surprise  you,  upon  weak 
grass  nags,  such  as  they  could  get  on  a  sudden;  and  God  hath  put  them 
into  your  hands,  that  we  may  take  revenge  of  them  for  much  blood  that 
they  have  spilt  of  ours.'  I  desired  they  would  be  patient  a  while,  and 
bethought  myself,  if  I  should  give  them  their  will,  there  would  be  few  or 
none  of  the  Scots  that  would  escape  unkilled;  (there  was  so  many  deadly 
feuds  among  them;)  and  therefore  I  resolved  with  myself  to  give  them  a 
fair  answer,  but  not  to  give  them  their  desire.  So  I  told  them,  that  if  I 
were  not  there  myself,  they  might  then  do  what  they  pleased  themselves; 
but  being  present,  if  I  should  give  them  leave,  the  blood  that  should  be 
spilt  that  day  would  lie  very  hard  upon  my  conscience.  And  therefore  I 
desired  them,  for  my  sake,  to  forbear;   and,  if  the  Scots  did  not  presently 


2o6  THE  LAY  OF 


make  away  with  all  the  speed  they  could,  upon  my  sending  to  them,  they 
should  then  have  their  wills  to  do  what  they  pleased.  They  were  ill  satis- 
fied with  my  answer,  but  durst  not  disobey.  I  sent  with  speed  to  the 
Scots,  and  bade  them  pack  away  with  all  the  speed  they  could;  for  if  they 
stayed  the  messenger's  return,  they  should  few  of  them  return  to  their  own 
home.  They  made  no  stay;  but  they  were  returned  homewards  before 
the  messenger  had  made  an  end  of  his  message.  Thus,  Vjy  God's  mercy, 
I  escaped  a  great  danger;  and,  by  my  means,  there  were  a  great  many 
men's  lives  saved  that  day." 

Note  Y. 

SJiow'' d southern  ravage  was  begun.  —  P.  92. 

From  the  following  fragment  of  a  letter  from  the  Earl  of  Northumber- 
land to  King  Henry  VIII.,  preserved  among  the  Cotton  MSS.  Calig.  B.  vii. 
179,  the  reader  may  estimate  the  nature  of  the  dreadful  war  which  was  oc- 
casionally waged  upon  the  Borders,  sharpened  by  mutual  cruelties,  and  the 
personal  hatred  of  the  wardens,  or  leaders. 

Some  Scottish  Barons,  says  the  Earl,  had  threatened  to  come  within 
"  three  miles  of  my  pore  house  of  Werkworth,  where  I  lye,  and  gif  me 
light  to  put  on  my  clothes  at  mydnight;  and  alsoo  the  said  Marke  Carr 
said  there  opynly,  that,  seyng  they  had  a  governor  on  the  Marches  of  Scot- 
land, as  well  as  they  had  in  Ingland,  he  shulde  kepe  your  highness  instruc- 
tions, gyffyn  unto  your  garyson,  for  making  of  any  day-forrey;  for  he  and 
his  friends  wolde  burne  enough  on  the  nyght,  lettyng  your  counsaill  here 
defyne  a  notable  acte  at  theyre  pleasures.  Upon  whiche,  in  your  highnes 
name,  I  comaundet  dewe  watche  to  be  kepte  on  your  Marchies,  for  comyng 
in  of  any  Scotts. — Neuerthles,  upon  Thursday  at  night  last,  came  thyrty 
light  horsemen  into  a  litil  village  of  myne,  called  Whitell,  having  not  past 
sex  houses,  lying  towards  Ryddisdaill,  upon  Shilbotell  More,  and  there 
wold  have  fyred  the  said  howses,  but  there  was  no  fyre  to  get  there,  and 
they  forgate  to  brynge  any  withe  theyme;  and  took  a  wyf  being  great  with 
childe,  in  the  said  towne,  and  said  to  hyr,  Wher  we  can  not  gyve  the  lard 
lyght,  yet  we  shall  doo  this  in  spyte  of  hym;  and  gyve  her  iii  mortall 
wounds  upon  the  held,  and  another  in  the  right  side,  with  a  dagger : 
whereupon  the  said  wyf  is  deede,  and  the  childe  in  her  bely  is  loste.  Be- 
seeching your  most  gracious  highness  to  reduce  unto  your  gracious  memory 
this  wylful  and  shamefuU  murder,  done  within  this  your  highnes  realme, 
notwithstanding  all  the  inhabitants  therabout  rose  unto  the  said  fray,  and 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


207 


gave  warnynge  by  becons  into  the  countrey  afore  theyme,  and  yet  the 
Scottsmen  dyde  escape.  And  uppon  certeyne  knowledge  to  my  brother 
Clyfforthe  and  me,  had  by  credible  persons  of  Scotland,  this  abomynable 
act  not  only  to  be  done  by  dyverse  of  the  Mershe,  but  also  the  afore  named 
persons  of  Tyvidaill,  and  consented  to,  as  by  appearance,  by  the  Erie  of 
Murey,  upon  Friday  at  night  last,  let  slyp  C  of  the  best  horsemen  of  Glen- 
daill,  with  a  parte  of  your  highnes  subjects  of  Bervvyke,  together  with 
George  Dowglas,  whoo  came  into  Ingland  agayne,  in  the  dawning  of  the 
day;  but  afore  theyre  retorne,  they  dyd  mar  the  Earl  of  Murreis  provisions 
at  Coldingham;  for  they  did  not  only  burne  the  said  town  of  Coldingham, 
with  all  the  corne  thereunto  belonging,  which  is  esteemed  wurthe  cii  marke 
sterling;  but  alsoo  burned  twa  townes  nye  adjoining  thereunto,  called 
Branerdergest  and  the  Black  Hill,  and  toke  xxiii  persons,  Ix  horse,  with  cc 
hed  of  cataill,  which,  nowe  as  I  am  informed,  hathe  not  only  been  a  staye 
of  the  said  Erie  of  Murreis  not  coming  to  the  Bordure  as  yet,  but  alsoo, 
that  none  inlande  man  will  adventure  theyr  self  uppon  the  Marches.  And 
as  for  the  tax  that  shulde  have  been  grauntyd  for  finding  of  the  said  iii 
hundred  men,  is  utterly  denyed.  Upon  which  the  King  of  Scotland 
departed  from  Edynburgh  to  Stirling,  and  as  yet  there  doth  remayh.  And 
also  I,  by  the  advice  of  my  brother  Clyfforth,  have  devysed,  that  within 
this  iii  nyghts,  Godde  willing,  Kelsey,  in  like  case,  shall  be  brent,  with  all 
the  corn  in  the  said  town;  and  then  they  shall  have  noo  place  to  lye  any 
garyson  in  nygh  unto  the  Borders.  And  as  I  shall  atteigne  further  knowl- 
edge, I  shall  not  faill  to  satisfye  your  highnes,  according  to  my  most 
bounden  dutie.  And  for  this  burnyng  of  Kelsey  is  devysed  to  be  done 
secretly,  by  Tyndaill  and  Ryddisdale.  And  thus  the  holy  Trynite  and  *  *  * 
your  most  royal  estate,  with  long  lyf,  and  as  much  increase  of  honour  as 
your  most  noble  heart  can  desire.  At  IVerkworth  the  wiidday  of  October P 
(1522.) 

Note  Z. 

Belted  Will  FLnaard.—,'?.  95. 

Lord  William  Howard,  third  son  of  Thomas,  Duke  of  Norfolk,  suc- 
ceeded to  Naworth  Castle,  and  a  large  domain  annexed  to  it,  in  right  of 
his  wife  Elizabeth,  sister  of  George  Lord  Dacre,  who  died  without  heirs- 
male,  in  the  nth  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  By  a  poetical  anachronism,  he  is 
introduced  into  the  romance  a  few  years  earlier  than  he  actually  flourished. 
He  was  warden  of  the  Western  Marches;    and,  from  the  rigor  with  which 


2o8  THE  LAY  OF 


he  repressed  the  Border  excesses,  the  name  of  Belted  Will  Howard  is  still 
famous  in  our  traditions.  In  the  castle  of  Naworth,  his  apartments,  con- 
taining a  bedroom,  oratory,  and  library,  are  still  shown.  They  impress  us 
with  an  unpleasing  idea  of  the  life  of  lord  warden  of  the  Marches.  Three 
or  four  strong  doors,  separating  these  rooms  from  the  rest  of  the  castle, 
indicate  the  apprehensions  of  treachery  from  his  garrison :  and  the  secret 
winding  passages,  through  which  he  could  privately  descend  into  the  guard- 
room, or  even  into  the  dungeons,  imply  the  necessity  of  no  small  degree 
of  secret  superintendence  on  the  part  of  the  governor.  As  the  ancient 
books  and  furniture  have  remained  undisturbed,  the  venerable  appearance 
of  these  apartments,  and  the  armor  scattered  around  the  chamber,  almost 
lead  us  to  expect  the  arrival  of  the  warden  in  person.  Naworth  Castle  is 
situated  near  Brampton,  in  Cumberland.  Lord  William  Howard  is  ances- 
tor of  the  Earls  of  Carlisle. 

Note  A  2. 

Lord  Dacre.  —  P.  95. 

The  well-known  name  of  Dacre  is  derived  from  the  exploits  of  one  of 
their  ancestors  at  the  siege  of  Acre,  or  Ptolemais,  under  Richard  Coeur  de 
Lion.  There  were  two  powerful  branches  of  that  name.  The  first  family, 
called  Lord  Dacres  of  the  South,  held  the  castle  of  the  same  name,  and 
are  ancestors  to  the  present  Lord  Dacre.  The  other  family,  descended 
from  the  same  stock,  were  called  Lord  Dacres  of  the  North,  and  were 
barons  of  Gilsland  and  Graystock.  A  chieftain  of  the  latter  branch  was 
warden  of  the  West  Marches  during  the  reign  of  Edward  VL  He  was  a 
man  of  a  hot  and  obstinate  character,  as  appears  from  some  particulars  of 
Lord  Surrey's  letter  to  Henry  VIIL,  giving  an  account  of  his  behavior  at 
the  siege  and  storm  of  Jedburgh.  It  is  printed  in  the  Alinstrelsy  of  the 
Scottish  Border,  Appendix  to  the  Introduction. 


Note  B  2. 

The  Gertnan  hackbut-tnen. — P.  95. 

In  the  wars  with  Scotland,  Henry  VHI.  and  his  successors  employed 
numerous  bands  of  mercenary  troops.  At  the  battle  of  Pinky,  there  were 
in  the  English  army  si.x  hundred  hackbutters  on  foot,  and  two  hundred  on 
horseback,  composed  chiefly  of  foreigners.  On  the  27th  of  September,  1549, 
the  Duke  of  Somerset,  Lord  Protector,  writes  to  the  Lord  Dacre,  warden  of 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


209 


the  West  Marches:  "The  Almains,  in  number  two  thousand,  very  vaUant 
soldiers,  shall  be  sent  to  you  shortly  from  Newcastle,  together  with  Sir 
Thomas  Holcroft,  and  with  the  force  of  your  wardenry  (which  we  would 
were  advanced  to  the  most  strength  of  horsemen  that  might  be),  shall 
make  the  attempt  to  Loughmaben,  being  of  no  such  strength  but  that  it 
may  be  skailed  with  ladders,  whereof,  beforehand,  we  would  you  caused 
secretly  some  number  to  be  provided;  or  else  undermined  with  the  pyke- 
axe,  and  so  taken  :  either  to  be  kept  for  the  King's  Majesty,  or  otherwise  to 
be  defaced,  and  taken  from  the  profits  of  the  enemy.  And  in  like  man- 
ner the  house  of  Carlaverock  to  be  used."  Repeated  mention  occurs  of 
the  Almains  in  the  subsequent  correspondence;  and  the  enterprise  seems 
finally  to  have  been  abandoned,  from  the  difficulty  of  providing  these 
strangers  with  the  necessary  victuals  and  carriages  in  so  poor  a  country  as 
Dumfries-shire."  —  History  of  Cumberland,  vol.  i.  Introd.  p.  Ixi.  From 
the  battle-pieces  of  the  ancient  Flemish  painters,  we  learn,  that  the  Low 
Country  and  German  soldiers  marched  to  an  assault  with  their  right  knees 
bared.  And  we  may  also  observe,  in  such  pictures,  the  extravagance  to  which 
they  carried  the  fashion  of  ornamenting  their  dress  with  knots  of  ribbon. 
This  custom  of  the  Germans  is  alluded  to  in  the  Mi rr our  for  Magistrates, 

p.  121. 

"  Their  pleited  garments  therewith  well  accord, 
All  jagde  and  frounst,  with  divers  colors  deckt." 

Note  C  2. 

"  Ready,  aye  ready,"  for  the  f  eld.  —  P.  96. 

Sir  John  Scott  of  Thirlestane  flourished  in  the  reign  of  James  V.,  and 
possessed  the  estates  of  Thirlestane,  Gamescleuch,  &c.,  lying  upon  the 
river  of  Ettrick,  and  extending  to  St.  Mary's  Loch,  at  the  head  of  Yarrow. 
It  appears,  that  when  James  had  assembled  his  nol^ility,  and  their  feudal 
followers,  at  Fala,  with  the  purpose  of  invading  England,  and  was,  as  is 
well-known,  disappointed  by  the  obstinate  refusal  of  his  peers,  this  baron 
alone  declared  himself  ready  to  follow  the  King  wherever  he  should  lead. 
In  memory  of  his  fidelity,  James  granted  to  his  family  a  charter  of  arms, 
entitling  them  to  bear  a  border  of  fleurs-de-luce,  similar  to  the  treasure 
in  the  royal  arms,  with  a  bundle  of  spears  for  the  crest;  motto,  Ready, 
aye  ready.  The  charter  itself  is  printed  by  Nisbet;  but  his  work  being 
scarce,  I  insert  the  following  accurate  transcript  from  the  original,  in  the 
possession  of  the  Right  Honorable  Lord  Napier,  the  representative  of 
John  of  Thirlestaine. 


2IO  THE  LAY  OF 


"James  Rex. 

"  We  James,  by  the  grace  of  God,  King  of  Scottis,  considerand  the  ffaith 
and  guid  servis  of  of  of '  right  traist  friend  John  Scott  of  Thirlestane,  quha 
cummand  to  our  hoste  at  Soutra-edge,  with  three  score  and  ten  launcieres 
on  horseback  of  his  friends  and  followers,  and  beand  willing  to  gang  with 
ws  into  England,  when  all  our  nobles  and  others  refused,  he  was  ready  to 
stake  at  all  our  bidding;  ffor  the  quhilk  cause  it  is  our  will,  and  we  doe 
straitlie  command  and  charge  our  lion  herauld  and  his  deputies  for  the 
time  beand,  to  give  and  to  graunt  to  the  said  John  Scott,  ane  Border  of 
ffleure  de  lises  about  his  coatte  of  armes,  sik  as  is  on  our  royal  banner,  and 
alsua  ane  bundell  of  launces  above  his  helmet,  with  thir  words,  Readdy,  ay 
Readdy,  that  he  and  all  his  aftercummers  may  bruik  the  samine  as  a  pledge 
and  taiken  of  our  guid  will  and  kyndnes  for  his  true  worthines;  and 
thir  our  letters  seen,  ye  nae  wayes  failzie  to  doe.  Given  at  Ffalla  Muire, 
under  our  hand  and  privy  cashet,  the  xxvii  day  of  July,  m  c  and  xxxii 
zeires.     By  the  King's  graces  speciall  ordinance. 

"  Jo.  Arskine." 

On  the  back  of  the  charter  is  written, 
"  Edin.  14  January,  1713.      Registred,  conform  to  the  act  of  parliament 
made  anent  probative  writs,  per  M'Kaile,  pror.  and  produced  by  Alexander 
Borthwick,  servant  to  Sir  William  Scott  of  Thirlestane.     M.  L.  J." 


Note  D  2. 

An  aged  Knight,  to  danger  steeTd, 

With  many  a  moss-trooper,  cavie  on  ; 
And  azure  in  a  golden  field, 
The  Stars  and  cresce7it  graced  his  shield, 

Without  the  bend  of  Mttrdieston.  —  P.  96. 

The  family  of  Harden  are  descended  from  a  younger  son  of  the  Laird  of 
Buccleuch,  who  flourished  before  the  estate  of  Murdieston  was  acquired  by 
the  marriage  of  one  of  those  chieftains  with  the  heiress,  in  1296.  Hence 
they  bear  the  cognizance  of  the  Scotts  upon  the  field;  whereas  those  of 
the  Buccleuch  are  disposed  upon  a  bend  dexter,  assumed  in  consequence 
of  that  marriage. — See  Gladstaine  of  Whitelawe^s  MSS.,  and  Scott  of 
Stokoe's  Pedigree,  Newcastle,  1783. 

'  Sic  in  original. 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  2 1 1 

Walter  Scott  of  Harden,  who  flourished  during  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary, 
was  a  renowned  Border  freebooter,  concerning  whom  tradition  has  pre- 
served a  variety  of  anecdotes,  some  of  which  have  been  published  in  the 
Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border  ;  others  in  Leyden's  Scenes  of  Infancy  ; 
and  others,  more  lately,  in  The  Mountain  Bard,  a  collection  of  Border 
ballads  by  Mr.  James  Hogg.  The  bugle-horn,  said  to  have  been  used  by 
this  formidable  leader,  is  preserved  by  his  descendant,  the  present  Mr. 
Scott  of  Harden.  His  castle  was  situated  upon  the  very  brink  of  a  dark 
and  precipitous  dell,  through  which  a  scanty  rivulet  steals  to  meet  the 
Borthwick.  In  the  recess  of  this  glen  he  is  said  to  have  kept  his  spoil, 
which  served  for  the  daily  maintenance  of  his  retainers,  until  the  production 
of  a  pair  of  clean  spurs,  in  a  covered  dish,  announced  to  the  hungry  band, 
that  they  must  ride  for  a  supply  of  provisions.  He  was  married  to  Mary 
Scott,  daughter  of  Philip  Scott  of  Dryhope,  and  called  in  song  the  Flower 
of  Yarrow.  He  possessed  a  very  extensive  estate,  which  was  divided 
among  his  five  sons.  There  are  numerous  descendants  of  this  old  maraud- 
ing Baron.  The  following  beautiful  passage  of  Leyden's  Scenes  of 
Infancy,  is  founded  on  a  tradition  respecting  an  infant  captive,  whom 
Walter  of  Harden  carried  off  in  a  predatory  incursion,  and  who  is  said  to 
have  become  the  author  of  some  of  our  most  beautiful  pastoral  songs :  — 

"  Where  Bortha  hoarse,  that  loads  the  meeds  with  sand, 
Rolls  her  red  tide  to  Teviot's  western  strand 
Through  slaty  hills,  whose  sides  are  shagg'd  with  thorn, 
Where  springs,  in  scatter'd  tufts,  the  dark-green  corn, 
Towers  wood-girt  Harden,  far  above  the  vale, 
And  clouds  of  ravens  o'er  the  turrets  sail. 
A  hardy  race,  who  never  shrunk  from  war, 
The  Scott,  to  rival  realms  a  mighty  bar, 
Here  fixed  his  mountain-home;  — a  wide  domain, 
And  rich  the  soil,  had  purple  heath  been  grain; 
But  what  the  niggard  ground  of  wealth  denied. 
From  fields  more  bless'd  his  fearless  arm  supplied. 

"  The  waning  harvest-moon  shone  cold  and  bright. 
The  warder's  horn  was  heard  at  dead  of  night; 
And  as  the  massy  portals  wide  were  flung. 
With  stamping  hoofs  the  rocky  pavement  rung. 
What  fair,  half-veil'd,  leans  from  her  latticed  hall, 
Where  red  the  wavering  gleams  of  torchlight  fall? 
'Tis  Yarrow's  fairest  Flower,  who,  through  the  gloom 
Looks,  wistful,  for  her  lover's  dancing  plume. 
Amid  the  piles  of  spoil,  that  strew'd  the  ground. 
Her  ear,  all  anxious,  caught  a  wailing  sound. 


212  THE  LAY  OF 

With  trembling  haste  the  youthful  matron  flew. 
And  from  the  hurried  heaps  an  infant  drew. 

"  Scared  at  the  light,  his  little  hands  he  flung 
Around  her  neck,  and  to  her  bosom  clung; 
While  beauteous  Mary  soothed,  in  accents  mild, 
His  fluttering  soul,  and  clasp'd  her  foster  child. 
Of  milder  mood  the  gentle  captive  grew. 
Nor  loved  the  scenes  that  scared  his  infant  view; 
In  vales  remote,  from  camps  and  castles  far, 
He  shunn'd  the  fearful  shuddering  joy  of  war; 
Content  the  loves  of  simple  swains  to  sing, 
Or  wake  to  fame  the  harp's  heroic  string. 

"  His  are  the  strains,  whose  wandering  echoes  thrill 
The  shepherd,  lingering  on  the  twilight  hill. 
When  evening  brings  the  merry  folding  hours, 
And  sun-eyed  daisies  close  their  winking  flowers. 
He  lived  o'er  Yarrow's  Flower  to  shed  the  tear. 
To  strew  the  holly  leaves  o'er  Harden's  bier: 
But  none  was  found  above  the  minstrel's  tomb, 
Emblem  of  peace,  to  bid  the  daisy  bloom  : 
He,  nameless  as  the  race  from  which  he  sprung, 
Saved  other  names,  and  left  his  own  unsung." 


Note  E  2. 

Knighthood  he  took  of  Douglas'  sword.  —  P.  109, 

The  dignity  of  knighthood,  according  to  the  original  institution,  had  this 
pecuharity,  that  it  did  not  flow  from  the  monarcli,  but  could  be  conferred 
by  one  who  himself  possessed  it,  upon  any  squire  who,  after  due  probation, 
was  found  to  merit  the  honor  of  chivalry.  Latterly,  this  power  was  con- 
fined to  generals,  who  were  wont  to  create  knights  bannerets  after  or 
before  an  engagement.  Even  so  late  as  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
Essex  highly  offended  his  jealous  sovereign  by  the  indiscriminate  exertion 
of  this  privilege.  Among  others,  he  knighted  the  witty  Sir  John  Harring- 
ton, whose  favor  at  court  was  by  no  means  enhanced  by  his  new  honors. 
—  See  the  Nugm  Antiqua;,  edited  by  Mr.  Park.  But  probably  the  latest 
instance  of  knighthood,  conferred  by  a  subject,  was  in  the  case  of  Thomas 
Ker,  knighted  by  the  Earl  of  Huntley,  after  the  defeat  of  the  Earl  of  Ar- 
gyle  in  the  battle  of  Belrinnes.  The  fact  is  attested,  both  by  a  poetical 
and  prose  account  of  the  engagement,  contained  in  an  ancient  MS.  in  the 
Advocates'  Library,  and  edited  by  Mr.  Dalyell,  in  Godly  Sangs  and  Bal- 
lets, Edin.,  1802. 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


213 


Note  F  2. 

Let  Musgrave  meet  fierce  Deloraine 
In  single  fight.  ■ —  P.  112. 

It  may  easily  be  supposed,  that  trial  by  single  combat,  so  peculiar  to  the 
feudal  system,  was  common  on  the  Borders.  In  1558,  the  well-known 
Kirkaldy  of  Grange  fought  a  duel  with  Ralph  Evre,  brother  to  the  then 
Lord  Evre,  in  consequence  of  a  dispute  about  a  prisoner  said  to  have  been 
ill  treated  by  the  Lord  Evre.  Pitscottie  gives  the  following  account  of 
the  affair:  "The  Lord  of  Ivers  his  brother  provoked  William  Kircaldy  of 
Grange  to  fight  with  him,  in  singular  combat,  on  horseback,  with  spears ; 
who,  keeping  the  appointment,  accompanied  with  Monsieur  d'Ossel,  lieu- 
tenant to  the  French  King,  and  the  garrison  of  Haymouth,  and  Mr.  Ivers, 
accompanied  with  the  governor  and  garrison  of  Berwick,  it  was  discharged, 
under  the  pain  of  treason,  that  any  man  should  come  near  the  champions 
within  a  flight-shot,  except  one  man  for  either  of  them,  to  bear  their  spears, 
two  trumpets,  and  two  lords  to  be  judges.  When  they  were  in  readiness, 
the  trumpets  sounded,  the  heraulds  cried,  and  the  judges  let  them  go. 
They  then  encountered  very  fiercely;  but  Grange  struck  his  spear  through 
his  adversary's  shoulder,  and  bare  him  off  his  horse,  being  sore  wounded : 
But  whether  he  died,  or  not,  it  is  uncertain."  —  P.  202. 

The  following  indenture  will  show  at  how  late  a  period  the  trial  by  com- 
bat was  resorted  to  on  the  Border,  as  a  proof  of  guilt  or  innocence :  — 

"  It  is  agreed  between  Thomas  Musgrave  and  Lancelot  Carleton  for  the 
true  trial  of  such  controversies  as  are  betwixt  them,  to  have  it  openly  tried 
by  way  of  combat,  before  God  and  the  face  of  the  world,  to  try  it  in 
Canonbyholme,  before  England  and  Scotland,  upon  Thursday  in  Easter- 
week,  being  the  eighth  day  of  April  next  ensuing,  A.D.  1602,  betwixt  nine 
of  the  clock,  and  one  of  the  same  day,  to  fight  on  foot,  to  be  armed  with 
jack,  steel  cap,  plaite  sleeves,  plaite  breaches,  plaite  sockes,  two  basleard 
swords,  the  blades  to  be  one  yard  and  half  a  quarter  in  length,  two  Scotch 
daggers,  or  dorks,  at  their  girdles,  and  either  of  them  to  provide  armour 
and  weapons  for  themselves,  according  to  this  indenture.  Two  gentlemen 
to  be  appointed,  on  the  field,  to  view  both  the  parties,  to  see  that  they  both 
be  equal  in  arms  and  weapons,  according  to  this  indenture;  and  being  so 
vie\\ed  by  the  gentlemen,  the  gentlemen  to  ride  to  the  rest  of  the  company, 
and  to  leave  them  but  two  boys,  viewed  by  the  gentlemen,  to  be  under  six- 
teen years  of  age,  to  hold  their  horses.     In  testimony  of  this  our  agree- 


214 


THE  LAY  OF 


ment,  we  have  both  set  our  hands  to  this  indenture,  of  intent  all  matters 
shall  be  made  so  plain,  as  there  shall  be  no  question  to  stick  upon  that 
day.  Which  indenture,  as  a  witness,  shall  be  delivered  to  two  gentlemen. 
And  for  that  it  is  convenient  the  world  should  be  privy  to  every  particular 
of  the  grounds  of  the  quarrel,  we  have  agreed  to  set  it  down  in  this  inden- 
ture betwixt  us,  that,  knowing  the  quarrel,  their  eyes  may  be  witness  of  the 
trial. 

THE   GROUNDS   OF   THE   QUARREL. 

"  I.  Lancelot  Carleton  did  charge  Thomas  Musgrave  before  the  Lords 
of  her  Majesty's  Pri\'y  Council,  that  Lancelot  Carleton  was  told  by  a  gen- 
tleman, one  of  her  Majesty's  sworn  sei-vants,  that  Thomas  Musgrave  had 
offered  to  deliver  her  Majesty's  Castle  of  Bewcastle  to  the  King  of  Scots; 
and  to  witness  the  same,  Lancelot  Carleton  had  a  letter  under  the  gentle- 
man's own  hand  for  his  discharge. 

"  2.  He  chargeth  him,  that  whereas  her  Majesty  doth  yearly  bestow  a 
great  fee  upon  him,  as  captain  of  Bewcastle,  to  aid  and  defend  her  Maj- 
esty's subjects  therein :  Thomas  Musgrave  hath  neglected  his  duty,  for 
that  her  Majesty's  Castle  of  Bewcastle  was  by  him  made  a  den  of  thieves, 
and  an  harbour  and  receipt  for  murderers,  felons,  and  all  sorts  of  misde- 
meanors. The  precedent  was  Quintin  Whitehead  and  Runion  Black- 
burne. 

"  3.  He  chargeth  him,  that  his  office  of  Bewcastle  is  open  for  the  Scotch 
to  ride  in  and  through,  and  small  resistance  made  by  him  to  the  contrary. 

"Thomas  Musgrave  doth  deny  all  this  charge;  and  saith,  that  he 
will  prove  that  Lancelot  Carleton  doth  falsely  bely  him,  and  will  prove 
the  same  by  way  of  combat,  according  to  this  indenture.  Lancelot  Carle- 
ton hath  entertained  the  challenge;  and  so,  by  God's  permission,  will 
prove  it  true  as  before,  and  hath  set  his  hand  to  the  same. 

(Signed)  "Thom.\s  Musgr.\ve. 

"Lancelot  Carleton." 

Note  G"  2. 

He,  the  jovial  harper.  — P.  1 14. 

The  person  here  alluded  to,  is  one  of  our  ancient  Border  minstrels, 
called  Rattling  Roaring  Willie.  This  soubriquet  was  probably  derived 
from  his  bullying  disposition;  being,  it  would  seem,  such  a  roaring  boy,  as 
is  frequently  mentioned  in  old  plays.  While  drinking  at  Newmill,  upon 
Teviot,  about  five  miles  above  Hawick,  Willie  chanced  to  quarrel  with  one 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


215 


of  his  own  profession,  who  was  usually  distinguished  by  the  odd  name  of 
Sweet  Milk,  from  a  place  on  Rule  Water  so  called.  They  retired  to  a 
meadow  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Teviot,  to  decide  the  contest  with  their 
swords,  and  Sweet  Milk  was  killed  on  the  spot.  A  thorn-tree  marks  the 
scene  of  the  murder,  which  is  still  called  Sweet  Milk  Thorn.  Willie  was 
taken  and  executed  at  Jedburgh,  bequeathing  his  name  to  the  beautiful 
Scotch  air,  called  "  Rattling  Roaring  Willie."  Ramsay,  who  set  no  value 
on  traditionary  lore,  published  a  few  verses  of  this  song  in  the  Tea-  Table 
Miscellany,  carefully  suppressing  all  which  had  any  connection  with  the 
history  of  the  author  and  origin  of  the  piece.  In  this  case,  however,  hon- 
est Allan  is  in  some  degree  justified,  by  the  extreme  worthlessness  of  the 
poetry.  A  verse  or  two  may  be  taken,  as  illustrative  of  the  history  of 
Roaring  Willie,  alluded  to  in  the  text :  — 

"Now  Willie's  gane  to  Jeddart, 

And  he's  for  the  rood-day;  ^ 
But  Stobs  and  young  Falnash  - 

They  follow'd  him  a'  the  way ; 
They  follow'd  him  a'  the  way, 

They  sought  him  up  and  down, 
In  the  links  of  Ousenam  water 

They  fand  him  sleeping  sound. 

"  Stobs  light  aff  his  horse, 

And  never  a  word  he  spak. 
Till  he  tied  Willie's  hands 

Fu'  fast  behind  his  back; 
Fu'  fast  behind  his  back, 

And  down  beneath  his  knee. 
And  drink  will  be  dear  to  Willie, 

When  sweet  milk^  gars  him  die. 

"  Ah  wae  light  on  ye,  Stobs! 

An  ill  death  mot  ye  die ; 
Ye're  the  first  and  foremost  man 

That  e'er  laid  hands  on  me; 
That  e'er  laid  hands  on  me. 

And  took  my  mare  me  frae  : 
Wae  to  you.  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot! 

Ye  are  my  mortal  fae ! 

"  The  lasses  of  Ousenam  water 

Are  rugging  and  riving  their  hair. 
And  a'  for  the  sake  of  Willie, 

»  The  day  of  the  Rood-fair  at  Jedburgh. 

2  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot  of  Stobs,  and  Scott  of  Falnash. 

3  A  wretched  pun  on  his  antagonist's  name. 


2i6  THE  LAY  OF 


His  beauty  was  so  fair: 
His  beauty  was  so  fair, 

And  comely  for  to  see, 
And  drink  will  be  dear  to  Willie, 

When  sweet  milk  gars  him  die.' 


N(/IK     H   2. 
She  7i<rought  not  by  forbidden  spell.  —  P.  1 41. 

Popular  belief,  though  contran-  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Church,  made  a 
favorable  distinction  bet^nxt  magicians,  and  necromancers,  or  wizards;  the 
former  were  supposed  to  coirmiand  the  evil  spirits,  and  the  latter  to  serve, 
or  at  least  to  be  in  league  and  compact  with,  those  enemies  of  mankind. 
The  arts  of  subjecting  the  demons  were  manifold;  sometimes  the  tiends 
were  actually  swindled  by  the  magicians,  as  in  the  case  of  the  bargain  be- 
twixt one  of  their  number  and  the  poet  Virgil.  The  classical  reader  will 
doubtless  be  curious  to  peruse  this  anecdote  :  — 

"  Virgilius  was  at  scole  at  Tolenton,  where  he  stodyed  dylygently,  for  he 
was  of  great  understandynge.  Upon  a  tyme,  the  scolers  had  lycense  to  go 
to  play  and  sporte  them  in  the  fyldes,  after  the  usance  of  the  old  tyme. 
And  there  was  also  Virgilius  therbye,  also  walkynge  among  the  hylles  alle 
about.  It  fortuned  he  spyed  a  great  hole  in  the  syde  of  a  great  hyll, 
wherein  he  went  so  depe,  that  he  culd  not  see  no  more  lyght;  and  than 
he  went  a  lytell  farther  therein,  and  than  he  saw  some  lyght  agayne,  and 
than  he  went  fourth  streyghte,  and  within  a  lytell  wyle  after  he  harde  a 
voyce  that  called,  '  Virgilius  !  Virgilius  I  '  and  looked  aboute,  and  he  colde 
nat  see  no  body.  Than  said  he  (i.e.  the  voice'),  'Virgilius,  see  ye  not  the 
lytyll  borde  lying  bysyde  you  there  marked  with  that  word?'  Than  an- 
swered Virgilius,  '  I  see  that  borde  well  anough.'  The  voyce  said,  '  Doo 
awaye  that  borde,  and  lette  me  out  there  atte.'  Than  answered  Virgilius 
to  the  voice  that  was  under  the  lytell  borde,  and  sayd,  '  Who  art  thou  that 
callest  me  so?'  Than  answered  the  deNyll,  '  I  am  a  devyll  conjured  out  of 
the  bodye  of  a  certeyne  man,  and  banysshed  here  tyll  the  day  of  judg- 
mend,  without  that  I  be  delyvered  by  the  handes  of  men.  Thus,  Virgil- 
ius, I  pray  the,  delyver  me  out  of  this  payn,  and  I  shall  shewe  unto  the 
many  bokes  of  negromancye,  and  how  thou  shalt  come  by  it  lyghtly,  and 
know  the  practyse  therein,  that  no  man  in  the  scyence  of  negromancye 
shall  passe  the.  And  moreover,  I  shall  shewe  and  enforme  the  so,  that 
thou  shalt  have  alle  thy  desyre,  whereby  methinke  it  is  a  great  gyfte  for  so 
lytyll  a  doyng.     For  ye  may  also  thus  all  your  power  frendys  helpe,  and 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 


217 


make  ryche  your  enemyes.'  Thorough  that  great  promyse  was  Virgilius 
tempted;  he  badde  the  fynd  show  the  bokes  to  hym,  that  he  might  have 
and  occupy  them  at  his  wyll;  and  so  the  fynde  shewed  him.  And  than 
Virgilius  pulled  open  a  horde,  and  there  was  a  lytell  hole,  and  thereat 
wrang  the  devyll  out  like  a  yell,  and  cam  and  stode  before  Virgilius  lyke 
a  bygge  man;  whereof  Virgilius  was  astonied  and  marveyled  greatly 
thereof,  that  so  great  a  man  myght  come  out  at  so  lytyll  a  hole.  Than 
sayd  Virgilius,  '  Shulde  ye  well  passe  into  the  hole  that  ye  cam  out  of? ' 
— '  Yea,  I  shall  well,'  said  the  devyl.  — '  I  holde  the  best  plegge  that  I 
have,  that  ye  shall  not  do  it.'  — '  Well,'  sayd  the  devyll, '  thereto  I  consent.' 
And  than  the  devyll  wrang  himselfe  into  the  lytyll  hole  ageyne;  and  as  he 
was  therein,  Virgilius  kyvered  the  hole  ageyne  with  the  borde  close,  and  so 
was  the  devyll  begyled,  and  myght  nat  there  come  out  agen,  but  abydeth 
shytte  styll  therein.  Than  called  the  devyll  dredefully  to  Virgilius,  and 
said,  'What  have  ye  done,  Virgilius?'- — ^ Virgilius  answered,  'Abyde  there 
styll  to  your  day  appoynted;  '  and  fro  thens  forth  abydeth  he  there.  And 
so  Virgilius  became  very  connynge  in  the  practyse  of  the  black  scyence." 

This  story  may  remind  the  reader  of  the  Arabian  tale  of  the  Fisherman 
and  the  imprisoned  Genie ;  and  it  is  more  than  probable,  that  many  of  the 
marvels  narrated  in  the  life  of  Virgil,  are  of  Oriental  extraction.  Among 
such  I  am  disposed  to  reckon  the  following  whimsical  account  of  the  foun- 
dation of  Naples,  containing  a  curious  theory  concerning  the  origin  of  the 
earthquakes  with  which  it  is  afflicted.  Viigil,  who  was  a  person  of  gallan- 
try, had,  it  seems,  carried  off  the  daughter  of  a  certain  Soldan,  and  was 
anxious  to  secure  his  prize. 

"  Than  he  thought  in  his  mynde  how  he  myght  marye  hyr,  and  thought 
in  his  mynde  to  founde  in  the  middes  of  the  see  a  fayer  towne,  with  great 
landes  belongynge  to  it;  and  so  he  did  by  his  cunnynge,  and  called  it 
Napells.  And  the  fandacyon  of  it  was  of  egges,  and  in  that  town  of  Na- 
pells  he  made  a  tower  with  iiii  corners,  and  in  the  toppe  he  set  an  apell 
upon  an  yron  yarde,  and  no  man  culde  pull  away  that  apell  without  he 
brake  it;  and  thoroughe  that  yren  set  he  a  bolte,  and  in  that  bolte  set  he 
a  egge.  And  he  henge  the  apell  by  the  stauke  upon  a  cheyne,  and  so 
hangeth  it  still.  And  when  the  egge  styrreth,  so  shulde  the  towne  of 
Napells  quake;  and  whan  the  egge  brake,  than  shulde  the  towne  sinke. 
When  he  had  made  an  ende,  he  lette  call  it  Napells."  This  appears  to 
have  been  an  article  of  current  belief  during  the  middle  ages,  as  appears 
from  the  statutes  of  the  order  Du  Saint  Esprit  ou  droit  desir,  instituted  in 
1352.  A  chapter  of  the  knights  is  appointed  to  be  held  annually  at  the 
Castle  of  the  Enchanted  Egg,  near  the  grotto  of  Virgil.  —  MONTFAUCON, 
vol.  ii.  p.  329. 


2i8  THE  LAY  OF 


Note  I  2. 

Since  old  Buccleuch  (he  name  did  gain. 

When  in  the  clench  the  buck  was  ta'en.  —  P.  145. 

A  tradition  preserved  by  Scott  of  Satchells,  who  published,  in  1688,  A 
true  History  of  the  Right  Ho7iourable  name  of  Scott,  gives  the  following 
romantic  origin  of  that  name.  Two  brethren,  natives  of  Galloway,  having 
been  banished  from  that  country  for  a  riot,  or  insurrection,  came  to  Rankle- 
burn,  in  Ettrick  Forest,  where  the  keeper,  whose  name  was  Brydone, 
received  them  joyfully,  on  account  of  their  skill  in  winding  the  horn,  and 
in  the  other  mysteries  of  the  chase.  Kenneth  MacAlpin,  then  King  of 
Scotland,  came  soon  after  to  hunt  in  the  royal  forest,  and  pursued  a  buck 
from  Ettrick-heuch  to  the  glen  now  called  Buckcleuch,  about  two  miles 
above  the  junction  of  Rankleburn  with  the  river  Ettrick.  Here  the  stag 
stood  at  bay ;  and  the  King  and  his  attendants,  who  followed  on  horseback, 
were  thrown  out  by  the  steepness  of  the  hill  and  the  morass.  John,  one  of 
the  brethren  from  Galloway,  had  followed  the  chase  on  foot;  and  now 
coming  in,  seized  the  buck  by  the  horns,  and,  being  a  man  of  great 
strength  and  activity,  threw  him  on  his  back,  and  ran  with  his  burden 
about  a  mile  up  the  steep  hill,  to  a  place  called  Cracra-Cross,  where  Ken- 
neth had  halted,  and  laid  the  buck  at  the  Sovereign's  feet.' 

"  The  deer  being  curee'd  in  that  place, 

At  his  Majesty's  demand, 
Then  John  of  Galloway  ran  apace. 

And  fetched  water  to  his  hand. 
The  King  did  wash  into  a  dish. 

And  Galloway  John  he  wot; 
He  said,  '  Thy  name  now  after  this 

Shall  ever  be  called  John  Scott. 

"  '  The  forest  and  the  dear  therein. 
We  commit  to  thy  hand ; 
For  thou  shalt  sure  the  ranger  be, 
If  thou  obey  command; 

'  Froissart  relates,  that  a  knight  of  the  household  of  the  Comte  de  Foix  exhibited  a  simi- 
lar feat  of  strength.  The  hall-fire  had  waxed  low,  and  wood  was  wanted  to  mend  it.  The 
knight  went  down  to  the  court-yard,  where  stood  an  ass  laden  with  fagots,  seized  on  the 
animal  and  burden,  and,  carrying  him  up  to  the  hall  on  his  shoulders,  tumbled  him  into 
the  chimney  with  his  heels  uppermost :  a  humane  pleasantry,  much  applauded  by  the 
Count  and  all  the  spectators. 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  219 

And  for  the  buck  thou  stoutly  brought 

To  us  up  that  steep  heuch, 
Thy  designation  ever  shall 

Be  John  Scott  in  Buckscleuch.' 
****** 
"In  Scotland  on  Buckcleuch  was  then. 
Before  the  buck  in  the  clench  was  slain; 
Night's  men '  at  first  they  did  appear, 
Because  moon  and  stars  to  their  arms  they  bear. 
Their  crest,  supporters,  and  hunting-horn, 
Show  their  beginning  from  hunting  came; 
Their  name,  and  style,  the  book  doth  say, 
John  gained  them  both  into  one  day." 

Watt's  Bellcnden. 

The  Buccleuch  arms  have  been  altered,  and  now  allude  less  pointedly  to 
this  hunting,  whether  real  or  fabulous.  The  family  now  bear  Or,  upon  a 
bend  azure,  a  mullet  betwixt  two  crescents  of  the  field;  in  addition  to  which, 
they  formerly  bore  in  the  field  a  hunting-horn.  The  supporters,  now  two 
ladies,  were  formerly  a  hound  and  buck,  or,  according  to  the  old  terms,  a 
hart  of  leash  and  a  hart  ofgreece.  The  family  of  Scott  of  Howpasley  and 
Thirlestaine  long  retained  the  bugle-horn;  they  also  carried  a  bent  bow  and 
arrow  in  the  sinister  cantle,  perhaps  as  a  difference.  It  is  said  the  motto 
was,  —  Best  ridhig  by  moonlight,  in  allusion  to  the  crescents  on  the  shield, 
and  perhaps  to  the  habits  of  those  who  bore  it.  The  motto  now  given  is 
Amo,  applying  to  the  female  supporters. 

1  "  Minions  of  the  moon,"  as  Falstaff  would  have  said.  The  vocation  pursued  by  our 
ancient  Borderers  may  be  justified  on  the  authority  of  the  most  polished  of  the  ancient 
nations:  — "  For  the  Grecians  in  old  time,  and  such  barbarians  as  in  the  continent  lived 
neere  unto  the  sea,  or  else  inhabited  the  islands,  after  once  they  began  to  crosse  over  one 
to  another  in  ships,  became  theeves,  and  went  abroad  under  the  conduct  of  their  more 
puissant  men,  both  to  enrich  themselves,  and  to  fetch  in  maintenance  for  the  weak;  and 
falling  upon  towns  unfortified,  or  scatteringly  inhabited,  rifled  them,  and  made  this  the  best 
means  of  thear  living;  being  a  matter  at  that  time  no  where  in  disgrace,  but  rather  carry- 
ing with  it  something  of  glory.  This  is  manifest  by  some  that  dwell  upon  the  conti- 
nent, amongst  whom,  so  it  be  performed  nobly,  it  is  still  esteemed  as  an  ornament.  The 
same  is  also  proved  by  some  of  the  ancient  poets,  who  introduced  men  questioning  of  such 
as  sail  by,  on  all  coasts  alike,  whether  they  be  theeves  or  not;  as  a  thyng  neyther  scorned 
by  such  as  were  asked,  nor  upbraided  by  these  who  were  desirous  to  know.  They  also 
robbed  one  another,  within  the  main  land;  and  much  of  Greece  useth  that  old  custome,  as 
the  Locrians,  the  Acarnanians,  and  those  of  the  continent  in  that  quarter,  unto  this  day. 
Moreover,  the  fashion  of  wearing  iron  remaineth  yet  with  the  people  of  that  continent 
from  their  old  trade  of  theeving."  —  Hobbes'  Thucydides,  p.  4.     Lond. 


220  THE  LAY  OF 


Note  K  2. 

.  .  .    The  storni-stvept  Orcades  ; 

Where  erst  St.  Clairs  held  princely  sway. 

O'er  isle  atid  islet,  strait  and  bay.  —  P.  152. 

The  St.  Clairs  are  of  Norman  extraction,  being  descended  from  William 
de  St.  Clair,  second  son  of  Walderne  Compte  de  .St.  Clair,  and  Margaret, 
daughter  to  Richard  Duke  of  Normandy.  He  was  called,  for  his  fair 
deportment,  the  Seemly  St.  Clair;  and,  settling  in  Scotland  during  the 
reign  of  Malcolm  Caenmore,  obtained  large  grants  of  land  in  Mid-Lothian. 
— -These  domains  were  increased  by  the  liberality  of  succeeding  monarchs 
to  the  descendants  of  the  family,  and  comprehended  the  baronies  of  Ros- 
line,  Pentland,  Cowsland,  Cardaine,  and  several  others.  It  is  said  a  large 
edition  was  obtained  from  Robert  Bruce,  on  the  following  occasion  :  The 
King,  in  following  the  chase  upon  Pentland-hills,  had  often  started  a 
"white  faunch  deer,"  which  had  always  escaped  from  his  hounds;  and 
he  asked  the  nobles,  who  were  assembled  around  him,  whether  any  of 
them  had  dogs,  which  they  thought  might  be  more  successful.  No  courtier 
would  affirm  that  his  hounds  were  fleeter  than  those  of  the  king,  until  Sir 
William  St.  Clair  of  Roslin  unceremoniously  said,  he  would  wager  his  head 
that  his  two  favorite  dogs.  Help  and  Hold,  would  kill  the  deer  before  she 
could  cross  the  March-burn.  The  King  instantly  caught  at  his  unwary 
oifer,  and  betted  the  forest  of  Pentland-moor  against  the  life  of  .Sir  William 
St.  Clair.  All  the  hounds  were  tied  up,  except  a  few  ratches,  or  slow- 
hounds  ,  to  put  up  the  deer;  while  Sir  William  St.  Clair,  posting  himself  in 
the  best  situation  for  slipping  his  dogs,  prayed  devoutly  to  Christ,  the 
blessed  Virgin,  and  St.  Katherine.  The  deer  was  shortly  after  roused,  and 
the  hounds  slipped;  Sir  William  following  on  a  gallant  steed,  to  cheer  his 
dogs.  The  hind,  however,  reached  the  middle  of  the  brook,  upon  which 
the  hunter  threw  himself  from  his  horse  in  despair.  At  this  critical 
moment,  however,  Hold  stopped  her  in  the  brook;  and  Help,  coming  up, 
turned  her  back,  and  killed  her  on  Sir  William's  side.  The  king  descended 
from  the  hill,  embraced  Sir  William,  and  bestowed  on  him  the  lands  of 
Kirkton,  Logan-house,  Earncraig,  &c.,  in  free  forestrie.  Sir  William,  in 
acknowledgment  of  St.  Katherine's  intercession,  built  the  chapel  of  St. 
Katherine  in  the  Hopes,  the  churchyard  of  which  is  still  to  be  seen.  The 
hill,  from  which  Robert  Bruce  beheld  this  memorable  chase,  is  still  called 
the  King's  Hill;    and  the  place  where  Sir  William  hunted,  is  called  the 


THE  LAST  MINSTREL.  221 


Knight's  Field.'  —  MS.     History  of  the  Family  of  .St.  Clair,  hy  Richard 
AUGUSTIN  Hay,  Canon  of  St.  Genevieve. 

This  adventurous  huntsman  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Malice  Spar, 
Earl  of  Orkney  and  Stratherne,  in  whose  right  their  son  Henry  was,  in 
I379>  created  Earl  of  Orkney,  by  Haco,  king  of  Norway.  His  title  was 
recognized  by  the  Kings  of  Scotland,  and  remained  with  his  successors 
until  it  was  annexed  to  the  crown,  in  1 471,  by  act  of  Parliament.  In 
exchange  for  this  earldom,  the  castle  and  domains  of  Ravenscraig,  or 
Ravensheuch,  were  conferred  on  William  Saintclair,  Earl  of  Caithness. 


Note  L  2. 

Still  nods  their  palace  to  its  fall. 

Thy  pride  and  sorrow,  fair  Kirkiuall.  —  P.  152. 

The  Castle  of  Kirkwall  was  built  by  the  St.  Clairs,  while  Earls  of  Orkney. 
It  was  dismantled  by  the  Earl  of  Caithness  about  1615,  having  been 
garrisoned  against  the  government  by  Robert  Stewart,  natural  son  of  the 
Earl  of  Orkney. 

Its  ruins  afforded  a  sad  subject  of  contemplation  to  John,  Master  of 
St.  Clair,  who,  flying  from  his  native  country,  on  account  of  his  share  in 
the  insurrection  1 71 5,  made  some  stay  at  Kirkwall. 

"  I  had  occasion  to  entertain  myself  at  Kirkwall  with  the  melancholia 
prospect  of  the  ruins  of  an  old  castle,  the  seat  of  the  old  Earls  of  Orkney, 
my  ancestors;  and  of  a  more  melancholy  reflection,  of  so  great  and  noble 
an  estate  as  the  Orkney  and  Shetland  Isles  being  taken  from  one  of  them 
by  James  the  Third,  for  faultrie,  after  his  brother,  Alexander,  Duke  of 
Albany,  had  married  a  daughter  of  my  family,  and  for  protecting  and 
defending  the  said  Alexander  against  the  King,  who  wished  to  kill  him,  as 

1  The  tomb  of  Sir  William  St.  Clair,  on  which  he  appears  sculptured  in  armor,  with  a 
greyhound  at  his  feet,  is  still  to  be  seen  in  Roslin  chapel.  The  person  who  shows  it 
always  tells  the  story  of  his  hunting-match,  with  some  addition  to  Mr.  Hay's  account;  as 
that  the  knight  of  Rosline's  fright  made  him  poetical,  and  that  in  the  last  emergency,  he 

shouted, 

"  Help,  Haud,  an  ye  may, 
Or  Roslin  will  lose  his  head  this  day." 
If  this  couplet  does  him  no  great  honor  as  a  poet,  the  conclusion  of  the  story  does  him 
still  less  credit.  He  set  his  foot  on  the  dog,  says  the  narrator,  and  killed  him  on  the  spot, 
saying,  he  would  never  again  put  his  neck  in  such  a  risk.  As  Mr.  Hay  does  not  mention 
this  circumstance,  I  hope  it  is  only  founded  on  the  couchant  posture  of  the  hound  on  the 
monument. 


222  THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL. 

he  had  done  his  younger  brother,  the  Eail  of  Mar;  and  for  which,  after 
the  forfaultrie,  he  gratefully  divorced  my  forfaulted  ancestor's  sister; 
though  I  cannot  persuade  myself  that  he  had  any  misalliance  to  plead 
against  a  familie  in  whose  veins  the  blood  of  Robert  Bruce  ran  as  fresh  as 
in  his  own;  for  their  title  to  the  crowne  was  by  a  daughter  of  David  Bruce, 
son  to  Robert;  and  our  alliance  was  by  marrying  a  grandchild  of  the  same 
Robert  Bruce,  and  daughter  to  the  sister  of  the  same  David,  out  of  the 
familie  of  Douglass,  which  at  that  time  did  not  much  sullie  the  blood, 
more  than  my  ancestor's  having  not  long  before  had  the  honour  of  mar- 
rying a  daughter  of  the  King  of  Denmark's,  who  was  named  Florentine,  and 
has  left  in  the  town  of  Kirkwall  a  noble  monument  of  the  grandeur  of  the 
times,  the  finest  church  ever  I  saw  entire  in  Scotland.  I  then  had  no 
small  reason  to  think,  in  that  unhappy  state,  on  the  many  not  inconsidera- 
ble services  rendered  since  to  the  royal  familie,  for  these  many  years  bygone, 
on  all  occasions,  when  they  stood  most  in  need  of  friends,  which  they  have 
thought  themselves  very  often  obliged  to  acknowledge  by  letters  yet  extant, 
and  in  a  style  more  like  friends  than  souveraigns ;  our  attachment  to  them, 
without  any  other  thanks,  having  brought  upon  us  considerable  losses,  and 
among  others,  that  of  our  all  in  Cromwell's  time;  and  left  in  that  condition 
without  the  least  relief  except  what  we  found  in  our  own  virtue.  Aly  father 
was  the  only  man  of  the  Scots  nation  who  had  courage  enough  to  protest 
in  Parliament  against  King  William's  title  to  the  throne,  which  was  lost, 
God  knows  how :  and  this  at  a  time  when  the  losses  in  the  cause  of  the 
royall  familie,  and  their  usual  gratitude,  had  scarce  left  him  bread  to  main- 
tain a  numerous  familie  of  eleven  children,  who  had  soon  after  sprung  up 
on  him,  in  spite  of  all  which,  he  had  honourably  persisted  in  his  principle. 
I  say,  these  things  considered,  and  after  being  treated  as  I  was,  and  in  that 
unluckie  state,  when  objects  appear  to  men  in  their  true  light,  as  at  the 
hour  of  death,  could  I  be  blamed  for  making  some  bitter  reflections  to 
myself,  and  laughing  at  the  extravagance  and  unaccountable  humour  of 
men,  and  the  singularitie  of  my  own  case,  (an  exile  for  the  cause  of  the 
Stuart  family),  when  I  ought  to  have  known,  that  the  greatest  crime  I,  or 
my  family,  could  have  committed,  was  persevering,  to  my  own  destruction, 
in  serving  the  royal  family  faithfully,  though  obstinately,  after  so  great  a 
share  of  depression,  and  after  they  had  been  pleased  to  doom  me  and  my 
familie  to  starve.  — MS.  Memoirs  of  John,  Master  of  St.  Clair. 


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